Two weeks ago, in the September 26, 2003 TQB, we wrote about the Detroit Federation of Teachers' startling tactic of suggesting that teachers take off a day of school to protest the approval of 15 new charter schools. The schools were to be funded through a $200 million donation by a Michigan philanthropist. When thousands of Motor City teachers went on strike to protest the plan that would create the new charters, the school system was forced to shut down for a day and Michigan's governor withdrew her support for the new schools. The philanthropist too has since withdrawn the promise of funds.

Now the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Michigan free-market think tank, has lashed out at the union for its temper tantrum. It has called for the closure of the loophole that allows teachers to strike for political reasons. It also points out that Detroit schools rank in the bottom 4% of Michigan schools for achievement test scores and graduation rates, and in the top 4% in the state in compensation for both teachers and administrators.