Posted on 03/20/2013 6:38:46 PM PDT by markomalley
Now in its third week, a teachers strike in Strongsville, Ohio has parents, teachers and administrators at wit’s end, after several tense exchanges between the strikers and the substitute teachers filling in for them.
Earlier this month, Strongsville public teachers went on strike following failed contract negotiations between their union and the city. The city wants to cut the state’s contribution to teacher pensions; in exchange, the union wants a compensatory salary increase. The current average salary for a Strongsville teacher is $64,450, according to local reports.
Since then, the strike has occasionally turned ugly.
Video footage showed striking teachers gathered around the police station, harassing substitute teachers who were applying for interim positions at Strongsville schools. The teachers shouted “scab,” and “go home,” at several applicants, who were escorted into the building by police.
One protester shouted “Rosa Parks would be ashamed” at a black woman attempting to enter the building, prompting a police officer to inform the crowd that that woman was on police business, not applying for a job.
The spectacle has angered some parents, who say the teachers are setting a poor example for their kids.
“This strike is embarrassing the community, and it’s been going on too long,” said Paul Komarek, who recently organized a counter-protest to encourage teachers to end the strike, in a statement.
Even some of the students agree.
“Maybe they’ll get a little more mature about it and come back for their students’ sake,” said high school senior Lydia Kareha. “I hope they see this and understand that what they’re doing is ridiculous, to an extent.”
The union representing the teachers, the Strongsville Education Association, maintains that the city is deliberately prolonging the strike to save money, because substitute teachers are cheaper than regular teachers.
“The Board wants to prolong this strike to make money, while the students of the district continue to suffer,” said SEA President Tracy Linscott in a statement.
The question is: How much do these teachers recieve/year after retirement? Probably very close to their 64K salary. That goes a long way in Ohio, doesn’t it?
For a 9 month a year job! And I thought the average in our district was overly generous at $60K. This, in an area where a pretty decent home sells for around $130K.
This is why REAL “professionals” do not need unions.
Photoshop the signs with the truth:
“I am fighting to protect my pension.”
“On Break, Need Smokes”
Not to undermine the job teachers do, let us face the cold hard truth. A teacher’s job does not require much risk, no need to invent anything, no need to design a new concept, no chance of getting sued due to product failure, no need to learn new theoretical stuff, and not much risk of a layoff.
All of above risks are ever present in the life of a person working for a profit making outfit. And to top it off, most people are lucky to get 2 weeks paid vacation. Not 3 months paid time off in summer.
Based on all that, teachers in high-school and below do not deserve any more than the average salary of a factory worker.
They want to be known as (Professionals) Professional what, they have a meaningless degree, too much money for 9 month’s work. What else could they want. Time for a Mass Fire and Mass Hire.
Teachers should fund their own benefits out of their existing salary. Period.
I would not be a public school teacher for all the tea in China!!
“Would’nt you be mad as heck if your $64 thousand salary for 9 months work was in jeopardy?”
HEre in NJ many teachers cost a lot more than that (which is why the state is in a death spiral). The nonsense about saving money because subs cost less is a crock, too; in most of these negotiations back pay is given to the teachers for the time spent on strike.
“Based on all that, teachers in high-school and below do not deserve any more than the average salary of a factory worker.”
You see that here in NJ; while the public school cartel makes boatloads of money, teachers in private schools are paid about half as much (the going rate in the private sector).
Public schools are public enemy #1. Home school NOW.
These teachers are nothing more than common thieves...living off of money confiscated from other Americans. They are scum.
From those people who claim to be dedicated to the children.
Sure. The kid’s education comes first.
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Almost all of the others could be found working a variety of jobs. Some would help out on a relative's farm, one worked in the hardware store. A few helped set up for and even manned booths in the county fair. One of them even performed in rodeos around the region. Another, a great music teacher, learned how to do a better job repairing musical instruments than what the school district was paying shipping them out to a big city and ended up setting up a very successful business in his basement doing just that.
We had some great teachers with a wide variety of real life experiences to add to their classroom teaching. For a podunk town in a backwater region of the United States, we produced a lot of great students who went on to productive and successful careers.
But much less so since the teacher's union came in. In my era, high school teachers (mostly) went into the profession because they actually enjoyed teaching but wanted the summers off to pursue other interests. Now, they mostly go into it for the money and stability, neither of which has much to do with how well they produce.
My daughter will graduate this year, and for the most part, the vast majority of her K-12 teachers have been great at their jobs!There are always exceptions, but the few I have encountered, were easily dealt with.
We’ve always seen some of her former and current teachers moonlighting at part time jobs, elsewhere.
But I have always made a concerted effort to avoid large cities.
At no time in the past 12 years have any of her school teachers “manned a strike line”.
I guess I should also point out that I made it a point to live in “right to work” states.
Frankly, I’ve always had bigger gripes against the non-teaching, bloated and grossly overpaid district level administration staff.
Not to mention the local political “boards”, and their staff.
Abolish the Federal Department of Education, fire over 50% of every state’s current non-teaching school administrative staffing levels, and most problems are instantly solved!
In business, it is known as “right-sizing” the company.
In government, it is known as “refocusing on the primary mission”.
For bloodsucking politicians, bureaucrats and Unions, it is known as “the jig is up”.
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