Posted on 12/07/2001 12:47:27 PM PST by Silly
[Note from Silly: I am placing this in the CRIME/CORRUPTION: News and discussion of crime, corruption government abuse, power grabs, and scandal for a reason.]
FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) -- Nearly 230 teachers were freed from jail Friday after they and their colleagues agreed to end a bitter, nine-day strike. It was the nation's biggest mass jailing of striking teachers in 23 years.
The Middletown Township teachers decided to return to class next week while the dispute between the union and the Board of Education is submitted to mediation.
Teachers were freed from the Monmouth County Jail and taken by bus to a courthouse parking lot, where they were met by cheering family, friends and colleagues bearing flowers and balloons.
``I never want to see another bologna sandwich,'' high school mathematics teacher Ann Campbell said.
Teachers in the well-to-do community walked out Nov. 29 over health benefits but were hit with a back-to-work order issued by Judge Clarkson S. Fisher Jr.
When they defied the order, he began sending them to jail Monday to try to end the strike. He and two other judges went down the list of names alphabetically, starting with the As and Bs and getting into the Rs.
Many of the teachers made impassioned speeches about their love of the job and their willingness to suffer the consequences of their defiance. Many were excused from the jail terms because of hardship or family reasons.
As of Friday, about one-quarter of the 1,000-member staff was behind bars. The teachers were given one-week sentences and told they could get out earlier if they agreed to return to their classrooms. Seven relented before Friday.
At least three teachers announced their retirements or resignations rather than face jail time.
The National Education Association said it was the biggest mass jailing of striking teachers since 1978, when 265 were locked up for 18 days in Bridgeport, Conn.
The teachers, who make an average of $56,000 annually, are fighting a move to increase their health care premiums by up to $600 per person, per year. Currently, they pay $250. The district has 10,500 students.
Michelle Armistead was among the first teachers jailed on Monday. She said she is looking forward to getting back to her classroom after four days of cleaning lunch trays at the jail.
``I can't wait,'' she said. ``I miss my kids.''
What planet are these clymers on? I can't BELIEVE someone would object to paying $600 a year in health care premiums. They DESERVE to go to jail simply on the grounds of being out of touch.
That's what happens when you can't afford to put cheese on it.
Does anyone else suspect that these teachers were being used by the Marxist left in a failed attempt to associate martyrdom with the cause of teachers?
Exactly. $50/year for premium health coverage, likely coverage for the whole family. That's a steal.
Contract also calls for increased health care costs of a couple of hundred dollars a year.
$63k a year for a job where you can't get fired no matter how poorly you perform.
If done correctly, it is.
Well, Ann, you get a giant, friggin' "boo hoo" from me.
Middletown Teachers Agree to Return to Work
equals this title:
N.J. Teachers Agree to Return to Work
Or do you just like nitpicking?
No story with the word Middletown came up on ta search. Obviously, when any story breaks, there will be oodles of sources publishing the story. That certainly doesn't mean we can only post one account. I guess you think we all ought to check the text to make sure it isn't identical. I doubt very many people do that. Using original headlines is the way we avoid duplicate posts; no one can help it if nine newspapers carry the same story.
This is one of those situations where people are too stupid to see just how good they have it. Annual health care premiums could go to $850 if I read this correctly. These people should have shut up and enjoyed the fact that they were paying so much less than everyone else in the real world. But no, they were too stupid to realize that, even with the increases, they still had a good deal and that their wage increases more than made up for the insurance premiums.
People like this are far too stupid to be teaching anybody's kids.
(Noah Addis/ The Star-Ledger) 
Striking Middletown teachers Erin Casey (left), and Mary Ann Ferrara appear before Superior Court Judge Clarkson S. Fisher Jr. and elect to return to work. Their decision allowed them to leave the Monmouth County jail, where they were being held for disobeying a back-to-work order. Read the story
She pays for her health insurance. How many employees of private companies pay their health insurance? I do not at my company, and neither does my son.
Also the story has been that the teachers have not had a contract since this summer. What is wrong with the administration? They cannot complete a new contract in a timely manner? How many of you would go to work tomorrow without knowing what you would be paid, what benefits you would have and who is going to pay for these benefits. Would you accept your management saying “Trust us”? It is not unreasonable to expect workers not to work without an agreement.
Now no one has talked about the expenses teachers incur supporting their job. My wife pays for many supplies and other teaching items out of her paycheck. I know of no private employee that expects their employees to supply items such as office supplies so that they can complete their job.
Let’s talk work time, 9 months, no. My wife works from early Aug. till middle of June. Yes she gets one week at Thanksgiving, X-Mas and Spring. She has no paid vacation. After 30 years of service, I know many private employees who qualify for 8 - 10 weeks paid vacation time. Therefore they also are only working 9 - 10 months.
Now let’s talk time on the clock. My wife leaves for work @ 7 am, comes home @ 5 pm. We live 15 –20 minutes from work, so commute time is not the issue. She plans and grades tests after dinner and on the weekends. These hours are normal for most teachers. When you look at the normal working hours per year in America, that total is 2080 hours. I guarantee you that my wife works those hours, but in the ten months.
Lastly let’s talk about break and lunchtime. She may get a short 10-minute break in the morning. Many days she gets no break. Only in the last few years did my wife receive a duty free lunch of 30 minutes. How many would work and eat lunch at the same time for the last 25 years of your career? Now I know may small business owners do, because I did it when I owned a small business. There were days my wife would come home and would not stop to ever say "Hello", because she did not have a bathroom break all day. And forget calling her at work, no phone calls.
Please compare this with most workers day, an 8 hour day, 1 hour duty free lunch, two 15 minute breaks, and lots of personal phone calls.
Freepers most teachers earn their money the old fashion way, they work hard for it!
Are there problems with the school system, yes, are teachers the main cause of the problems, no. Teachers are only a cog in the system, there are many other areas to examine first. If anyone is interested I will be glad to discuss the GM workers in Calif that were blamed for building bad cars, and how Toyota used the same workers to build GM's highest rated auto.
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