We are shocked, SHOCKED that this teachers’ strike might not have been for the kids after all. See, as it turns out, as the union threatened to strike, its membership swelled, according to Eric Gorski at Chalkbeat. Here’s what he was told by the lead union negotiator:

“The teachers union’s lead negotiator told us dues-paying membership has swelled to about 3,800. That’s roughly 72 percent of the 5,300 teachers and special service providers covered by the district’s ProComp agreement that is at the center of the dispute — a big increase in membership that had been stuck at about 50 percent for years.”

If these numbers are correct and the average teacher pays approximately $936 per year in union dues (btw, that would go a long way to paying teachers’ unaffordable living costs, but we digress) and there are an additional 1,150 teachers in the union now, that’s an additional $1 million in annual revenue (ok, fine, $1,076,400, to be exact).

Given this evidence, it is clear that the more disruption the Denver Classroom Teachers Association causes, the more revenue the union hauls in. The more union dues the union hauls in, the more political power and influence the union has in Colorado.

We’re on day two of the teachers’ strike, kids are in chaos, parents are inconvenienced, and the teachers union is laughing all the way to the bank. Sounds like a great deal for union bosses and a terrible deal for everyone else.