Posted on 03/04/2010 12:58:52 PM PST by SmithL
Oakland teachers have set a one-day strike for March 24, an action that could shut down schools unless district officials make major concessions at the bargaining table, union officials said Wednesday.
The strike could leave parents scrambling for child care and force the financially strapped district to decide whether to keep schools open with administrators and support staff in classrooms or tell students to stay home.
Teachers who represent the union at the school sites cast the strike votes this week, and the result was overwhelmingly for the one-day walkout, an action the union's general membership, which includes 2,700 teachers, authorized in January.
The union cannot legally strike until the completion of a fact-finding process and a report is issued, possibly as early as next week.
Negotiators have been trying to reach a contract agreement for two years. Union officials said the major sticking points at the bargaining table include pay, class size increases and proposed staff reductions in the adult education programs.
"Nobody wants to see (the strike) - teachers, parents - nobody wants to see it," said Betty Olson-Jones, president of the 2,700-member Oakland Education Association. "We really hope this will send a clear signal to the district."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Fire them all.
The entire State of California is screwed; big-time. Or as my Granny would say: “California is in a mell of a hess.”
Unions should be outlawed for any government employee at any level.
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Yes, but it will never happen. Not in this country. The union vote and contributions are to revered.
They’ll cave. Nothing must interfere with the “free” daycare.
Yes, fire them all
I taught High School for 5 years and I was a member of a Teachers’ Union for protection against lawsuits. Kids will accuse you of anything now days. Thank God it never happened to me, but had it happened, I would have never had the funds for an attorney on my salary. So, it was peace of mind, knowing that the Teachers’ Union attorney would defend me should I ever need it.
You should see that other thread where 40,000 day care owners are forced to pay union dues without them ever joining a union. At least one FReeper defended it.
Nothing to worry about here. Most kids are roaming the streets anyway. Most people there can’t even read a strike notice.
Bring it on, Betty Hyphen
Oh I know there are benefits for those who are members, but it should be pretty clear by now that there are no benefits to unions for the students or the taxpayers.
I did see that one.
Made my ears steam!
We will transfer money from your private to their private business whether you like it or not.
Thats happening in Michigan.
You got it Eric.
Fire em all.
Don’t ya know the kids in Oakland aren’t getting what they pay for at this point.
Things still cold there?
Seems like they could have some occupational insurance (like bonding, errors and omissions) coverage that would take care of that without actually needing a union.
There will be no problem finding replacement teachers. The district needs to prepare for a long strike. Break the back of the arrogant teacher union.
The left is full of misinformation about teacher compensation. Leftist bloggers insist that teachers are paid less than other professionals with masters degrees. These leftist ignore the 9 months worked by teachers (maybe not even 9 months) and their outrageous retirement benefits. The comparison to other professionals is completely bogus. A reasonable comparison is between public school teachers, charter school teachers, and private school teachers. In this comparison, public school teachers are outrageously overpaid.
The timeoff taken by teachers is outrageous. In Colorado, most school districtis provide personal days and service days in addition to holidays and breaks. In the last two weeks, my daughter has missed 4 days of school due to service and conferences. I know teachers who use their personal days for additional vacation right in the middle of an academic period. Simply outrageous!
For example There is the Arizona Professional Educators Association.
You can go to their website using this link: www.azpe.org
Kids test scores will probably go up as a result.
WHAT?? Shut down Oakland schools?? Why that could have a negative effect on BOTH white students!!
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