Introduction

This chapter underscores the historically significant role that teachers unions have played in German education policy. As we will show, German teaching unionism is highly fragmented. In comparative social stratification research, Germany is considered a prototype of a stratified school system with distinct educational tracks and early academic selection (Schneider and Thieben, 2011). In contrast to most Western democracies, Germany has not yet introduced comprehensive schooling as a nationwide standard in secondary education (Wiborg, 2010). After the Second World War the Federal Republic of Germany reinstated the traditional tripartite school system comprising the Gymnasium, Realschule, and Hauptschule. After four years of elementary schooling, students were traditionally referred to distinct secondary educational tracks, each associated with a different curriculum and certificate. The academic track (Gymnasium) prepared pupils for the university entrance qualification (Abitur); the two other tracks prepared them for vocational training – with the shortest track (Hauptschule) primarily directed at crafts and manual occupations, and the middle track (Realschule) at technical and service occupations (Nikolai and West, 2013). Based on this tripartite school system, German teacher education is also highly stratified (Blömeke, 2002), and teachers unions have emerged around each school type of the German secondary school system. Accordingly, German teaching unionism is highly fragmented. However, two unions stand out as the leading lobby groups for teachers: the Trade Union of Education and Science (GEW, Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft) and the German Philological Association (DPhV, Deutscher Philologenverband). Together, they represent 23 percent (GEW) and 12 percent (DPhV) of the teaching workforce. They rely on different kinds of members and face each other as political counterparts. Since they are the leading collective actors in the realm of teaching unionism and vested interests, the remainder of this chapter will focus on the two.

Following this introduction, we discuss the historical developments of teacher unionism since the nineteenth century by outlining how certain legacies constituted paths in education policy and politics that have influenced Germany's teachers unions until today. We elaborate on the political agenda of teachers unions in the light of their vested interests (Moe, 2015) and their various opportunities for exerting influence in collective bargaining and in determining the duration of elementary schooling, school structures, and in influencing encompassing education reforms after the so-called ‘PISA shock’ of 2001.