They used to be about workers' rights, conditions and pay.
Going into a recent long weekend, the teachers' union, for one, made it clear they were very much about politics these days, not education - and international politics at that, putting Palestine at the top of their agenda for discussion with the Government.
Not the teachers' fault, per se, beyond voting for the likes of PPTA president Chris Abercrombie to represent them.
Their union is making them look like fools though, and even though most teachers want the best for our kids, they'll cop some public backlash for the actions of their union.
This mutt reckons it's time to clean out this outdated PC thinking from the education sector, follow Erica Stanford's lead, focus on raising standards - stop putting politics before kids.