I have written frequently about the connection between politics and public employee unions; the unreasonable demands and the irresponsible promises that can’t be kept. Here is another example that has contributed to public school crisis.
Wall Street Journal 9-11-13 … Now, district leaders are trying to squeeze about $130 million in concessions from labor unions. They want teachers to take a pay cut of about 10%—their average annual salary is about $73,000—and begin to pay a share of health-care premiums. They also want to increase the workday from seven to eight hours. The average teacher workday in the state is 7 hours and 45 minutes.
The district is also pressuring the union to switch from a pay structure that awards raises on the basis of advanced degrees and years of service to one that bases them, in part, on classroom performance. Officials also want principals to have more power to decide which teachers get hired and stay in their schools. Now, more-senior teachers can bump less-tenured ones out of jobs, no matter their effectiveness.
Union leaders have agreed to a one-year pay freeze and shared health-care costs. They have also said they would consider other contract changes but have balked at the pay cut…
I’d balk at a pay cut of 10% too, wouldn’t you. However, the point is that reaching this juncture likely would not have been necessary if over the years the contract had been based more in reality. What company provides free health benefits or raises based on tenure or a new college degree or virtually ignores the performance of its workers?
There are more issues facing this school system of course, but money is the root of it and now lack of prudence is hurting teachers, students and taxpayers and who is responsible … The same players; politicians and public employee union leaders.
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