Explaining 'Teachers Union Explained' Video

[Chris_Wendt]

I have had an uneasy feeling about the "Teachers Union Explained" You Tube video that is the subject of another thread, here. The video is very funny, and my initial reaction to it reflected the humor intended by the producer.

That the subject of teacher unions should have become the butt of widespread jokes, a target of nearly universal ridicule and a provocateur of other emotions ranging from anger to "hate" (the title of another thread, here), is noteworthy and really a tragic state of affairs.

Obviously, enmity toward teacher unions is an extant situation not just in Wantagh but in many parts of the country. This enmity is reflected in groundbreaking legislation and has found its way into the campaign platforms of political leaders and office seekers at local, state, and federal levels of government.

Backing away from the current events and recent history of teacher unions as targets of ridicule and legislation, it is important to note that teacher unions represent, they are comprised of...teachers. Teachers are dedicated people, people who have dedicated themselves to educating our children and grandchildren. Teaching is a vocation, which means a "calling", and teachers as people deserve a significant level of respect for having chosen to follow that particular calling.

Teachers, being the people who comprise the teacher unions, also have a responsibility to their brotherhood/sisterhood, to hold their union (the communal manifestation of themselves) accountable to themselves as individuals, not just in terms of compensation and benefits garnered, but at this particular time, in terms of their personal reputations and the repute of their chosen profession in tens of thousands of communities from Wantagh to Jacksonville to Madison to Tulsa to Los Angeles.

If your union is not acting responsibly toward your community...

If your union is making you feel like a pariah in the very village whose children you are responsible to educate...

If you have feelings about your union which you are actually feeling AFRAID to voice to that Union...

...then you owe it to yourself, as an individual, and to yourselves, collectively, as the teachers whom that union is supposed to represent, to speak up and take the steps and actions necessary to change how your union--and how you--are currently perceived and regarded by the rest of the world around you.

There is really nothing at all funny about that hyssterically funny video about you and YOUR UNION!

Seriously,

Chris Wendt

[lilly]

Actually, if you look at the youtube credits I believe the video was put together by Conservatives/Republicans bashing Liberal/Democrat thinking.

Quite frankly, as a political "agnostic", the whole political party divisiveness is annoying as it has gotten in the way of progress and problem solving (of which we as a country, currently have many problems exacerbated by that divisiveness).

The union thing is so out of control (beyond teachers unions) that I was kinda shocked by pro-union stickers on a light pole in the Massapequa Verizon parking lot the other day. I wish I could remember exactly what they said but they were ridiculous blanket statements. It was startling to realize just how far the whole union issue has reached that there is now grass roots street media out there.

And in all this, emotion comes far too much into play. At a recent Wantagh BOE meeting a parent was literally in tears suggesting the teachers should be given what they want. OTOH, if that happens, the salary levels and benefits are unsustainable and the district's finances become more unwieldy than they already are. This should not be an emotional issue. It is pragmatic dollars and sense. The $ is not there, in state coffers, in fed coffers, in Wantagh HH budgets.

[lilly]

Since I'm in Massapequa a few times a week, here are the street media stickers appearing:

Live Better, Work Union

United We Bargain, Divided We Beg.

Obviously, this can refer to any union but prob one/all of the public service employee units whose compensation packages are bankrupting governments everywhere. Those are the ones in the news lately. Seriously, wth?

[Chris_Wendt]

Wisconsin, a liberal-to-radical bastion since the Sixties at least, is right now experiencing a sudden shift to the right, beyond moderate politics all the way to reactionary pseudo-conservatism (neo-conservatism, or any other brand of "conservatism" which knows neither the meaning nor intent of the word "conserve").

Municipal unions, especially school unions, are in the crosshairs of emboldended politicians looking to outdo each other with trailblazing (and punishing) legislative cures for the excesses of the past (liberal spend-and-tax) state of affairs, that very situation you (Lilly) cite, where:

"public service employee units...compensation packages are bankrupting governments everywhere."

In that precise context, the Wantagh School District can ignominiously raise its hand to being counted among those 'governments' who have been victimized by the compensation packages of its unions.

Disenfranchised swimming team students and their parents, (6th) 7th & 8th Grade student sports participants and their parents can blame those same unions who are carping about the school board not settling (read, caving-in on) contracts with them.

Wantagh teachers pay HALF the national average for their own health insurance, while we cut sports and cannot "AFFORD" Full-day Kindergarten.

Wantagh's liability for retiree health insurace is presently $77 MILLION! More than the entire $70 Million School Budget! Twice the total cost of the entire annual teacher payroll! We are cutting sports instead of increasing the teachers share of their own lifetime health insurance, because the teacher union won't give a dime, not one dime to change the situation.

Instead of SMART Boards in classrooms, we spend our tax dollars on STEP increases for teachers, because the teacher union will not budge, not one iota will they budge to provide any relief, or to share in ANY PAIN with the taxpayers, the parents who pay for their salaries and benefits.

(I am on a rant, now...)

If the school board caves-in to the teachers union and does not get US any relief from that union--and by US I mean the students, their parents, and us taxpayers who are taking ALL THE PAIN--then the situation, and the fallout will only get WORSE NEXT YEAR!

What does R-E-L-I-E-F even look like? (I spelled it for you, but that is only the word, not the real deal of relief). In case the school board, or the superintendent, or Mr. Vereline and his bargaining committee don't recognize R-E-L-I-E-F, it would look identical to this:

• Increase contribution for health insurance to 25% over the next two years for teachers and retirees alike
• no increase to the salary schedule for 2010-11 (current year)
• no increase to the salary schedule for next year (2011-12) and freeze all steps and grades (no increases) for one year (2011-12)
• a moderate increase in the salary schedule, not more than 3% for the 2012-13 school year, and resume step and grade progression that year.

-End of rant.

Chris Wendt