Actor and activist Matt Damon spoke at the Save Our Schools rally today. Before he spoke, Damon granted ThinkProgress an exclusive interview. We asked him about how teachers unions are being demonized in much of the media and teachers are being blamed as the root of all problems in public education. Damon told us that the attacks on teachers unions are larger “war on unions over the last decade” and condemned “punitive policies” that punish teachers without looking at the social factors that lead to student achievement.
Towards the end of his statements, Damon joked about the right-wing meme that unionized teachers are overpaid, noting that he grew up as the son of a unionized teacher: “Granted, I did spend my summers in the Hamptons on her teacher salary and we did live on a yacht for a long time.”
Also Supports Recall On Gov. Scott Walker:
In a brief interview with ThinkProgress at today’s Save Our Schools march in Washington, actor Matt Damon said he supported the movement in Wisconsin to recall Gov. Scott Walker (R), who earlier this year signed union-bustinglegislation that stripped teachers of collective bargaining rights and made draconian cuts to the state’s education system. ThinkProgress asked Damon if he supported the recall against Walker because of those education cuts. Damon, replied, “Among other things, yeah.”
