ROX, none of it is "free" and never has been. The public employees and teachers have always paid into their retirement and paid for their medical benefits as required by their contracts. The issue is whether they were paying enough. That's an issue that can be discussed and the employees agreed to large cuts in their benefits. Again, none of this is or ever has been FREE. I'll give you an example. If I worked for the state for 30 years and contributed what was required by my contract into my retirement account for the entire 30 years, then retired and drew my pension, how is that free? It is a contract between the employer, the state, and the employee, and the state is required to honor that contract, or it is without honor.
I smell "free". . . State Pension. Teachers belong to the Wisconsin state pension plan. That plan requires a 6.8% employer contribution and 6.2% from the employee. However, according to the collective-bargaining agreement in place since 1996, the district pays the employees' share as well, for a total of 13%. Teachers' Supplemental Pension. In addition to the state pension, Milwaukee public-school teachers receive an additional pension under a 1982 collective-bargaining agreement. The district contributes an additional 4.2% of teacher salaries to cover this second pension. Teachers contribute nothing. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703408604576164290717724956.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
bad business cycles isn't the result of public unions. That is up to the business and economy at large. I don't mind wanting to help corporations but the price of doing so shouldn't be placed only on working folks who belong to public unions. The sacrifice should be shared and it isn't. As far as what the state agrees to do that's up to them. Because the union bargains for it, the state doesn't have to agree. Every benefit package those workers were getting was agreed to by the state. But anyway all of that isn't relevant at this point because the union agreed to all the financial demands Walker has asked for.
Other food options for donations for protesters - Burrito Drive at 608-260-8586 Silver Mine Subs at 608-286-1000 Pizza Di Roma at 608-268-0900 Asian Kitchen at 608-255-0571 Glass Nickel Pizza (608) 245-0880 For fresh fruit and veggie trays make a donation to them from the Madison Fresh Market by phone and cc. Call them: 608-256-0000. To supply protesters with WATER contact Capitol Center Foods at 608-255-2616
As I said; not smart to kick the hornet's nest of Labor Labor Rallies Across the USA http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2011/02/labor_protests_across_the_usa.php?ref=fpblg
Organizing into unions for increased bargaining power is just good business. The State could alway just hire scabs to teach the children and out out the fires. If you disagree with that because scabs don't have the skills, then you should agree that the skilled worker are worth their pay.
. . .and business as usual from the good old days is a mistake now. The people voted in this expected course of correction. Getting FREE off the backs of squeezed taxpayers is no longer sustainable...This is the will of the people in action and God willing this will continue in 2012...Thank goodness for the tea party standing up and making the differance in the mid terms...Obama stated there will be hand to hand combat, and the vitriol from the protestors coming to its fruition is just the beginning...We will win or the country can destroy itself...
right, and the union has agreed to every single financial demand Walker has asked for. What's also wrong is the tax payers paying teachers less than worth for the important work they do.
As valued by what? How do you arrive at the conclusion teachers are under paid? I'm curious to hear your logic.
- Value to society for the job performed. - Salary compared to other fields that require a bachelor degree, and 2 years of post graduate university education. - Salary compared to to other fields that require the above and the same amount of continuing education throughout the career. Compare those and teachers are very underpaid, as are most state workers who do the same job. The benefits package helps to make up for the amount they are underpaid. And if people like Roxran are going to talk about the taxpayers expense, remember that the teachers and state workers are taxpayers as well.
There's such an abundant number of people who are qualified to be teachers, though. There's low "barriers to entry", if you will. When the economy goes south, you hear about many, many people who want to be teachers, because they can. Your comparison to other fields that requries a bachelor's degree is pretty amateurish, since other fields require a specific degree to enter (e.g., engineering), whereas any old degree works for teaching. That's a big flaw in your analysis.
Job security? Teachers are being laid off all over the place. Their pensions are being reduced and they are having to pay more into the their pensions these days. Even still they are close to being underpaid based on their qualifications.
Actually considering teaching can be focused on so many different things there isn't any flaw in that analysis. Again there is more education needed besides a bachelor's degree. There is post graduate classes and work required. Furthermore teachers are being laid off all over the place. Good luck to most people trying to find work as a teacher now. It is extremely difficult to have that happen since so many other teachers with experience have been laid off because of budget shortfalls.
According to "Waiting For Superman": One out of every 57 doctors loses his or her license to practice medicine. One out of every 97 lawyers loses their license to practice law. In many major cities, only one out of 1000 teachers is fired for performance-related reasons. Teachers have incredible job security. Mostly due to tenure.
It's amusing that conservatives simultaneously b**** about the quality of public education and that teachers are paid too highly. Basic free market economics suggests that if you want better teachers, you pay them more to attract better talent. Not surprisingly, this actually works: states where teachers are paid more also tend to have schools that consistently perform better. Education is an investment. Invest money in it and you get better results. When shrinking government, longterm investment is the last thing that should be cut. Historically, those are conservative principles - apparently that's no longer the case.
