HBO’s Real Time host Bill Maher took aim at teachers’ unions during a recent segment, arguing that they—not underfunding—are the root cause of failing public schools. The discussion, which aired on the show’s “Overtime” segment, saw Maher and guests dissect what they see as systemic failures in education.
Unions Shield Bad Teachers, Maher Claims
Maher didn’t mince words, stating, “The problem is, the union, the teachers’ union is too powerful.” He pointed to states with weaker unions as examples of better-performing schools, suggesting that union influence correlates with poor outcomes. “The unions protect the bad schools and bad teachers,” he added, “and the party protects the union.”
Coleman Hughes, a columnist for The Free Press, echoed Maher’s critique, arguing that the left’s focus on funding misses the mark. “The problem isn’t the funding,” Hughes said. “It’s that you can’t fire anyone bad.”
Pushback on the ‘Underfunded’ Argument
Maher dismissed the common progressive talking point that schools suffer from a lack of resources. “It’s not money,” he said. “That’s what you always hear from the left, oh, it’s underfunded. It’s not the funding. The funding isn’t the issue.”
While acknowledging that unions do provide necessary protections for educators, Maher and Hughes agreed that the system also punishes excellence. “Teachers’ unions also prevent—sometimes they prevent the best teachers from being rewarded for being the best,” Hughes noted.
Media Blind Spot?
Maher quipped that his critique of unions wouldn’t find a home on mainstream outlets like MSNBC’s MSNBC NOW, prompting a lighthearted exchange with the show’s correspondent Ali Vitali, who defended the network’s ideological diversity.
The segment highlights an ongoing debate in education reform, where critics of teachers’ unions argue they prioritize job security over student outcomes—a claim unions vehemently deny.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/11/07/maher-teachers-unions-are-problem-not-lack-of-funding-unions-even-hurt-good-teachers-at-times/