Posted on 09/13/2012 9:12:48 PM PDT by PBRCat
Having spent the better part of a week asking teachers why they'd risk a public backlash by going on strike, I've concluded that the answer is best summed up by what one told me at their Labor Day rally: "Mayor Emanuel's pushed us to the limit. He's the world's biggest asshole."
Actually, I think he may have dropped the F-bomb once—or twice. But I'm trying to clean things up since this is a family newspaper, dammit!
But here's the bottom line: so much of this fight is fueled by the animosity of thousands of teachers toward one man. Emanuel increased their hours, cut their pay, portrayed them as money-grubbers, closed unionized schools, and opened more nonunion charters, thus depleting the union's power through attrition. And I haven't even gotten into the merit pay issue, which he's also tried to shove down their throats.
And you wonder why teachers are so angry they went on strike.
Still, keep this in mind before you join the rip-the-teachers chorus. Mayor Emanuel's pushing us toward a system in which all teachers—charter and union—are lower-paid, at-will employees who have about as much job protection and say in their workplace as grill-line workers in a fast-food restaurant.
Please tell me how that's good for kids.
There aren’t that many jobs to get.
Trying to force a 16.7 increase in the work day without negotiation had a lot more to do with it. Now it is true that it would be very risky to allow Rahm to decide who goes and who stays because you know how that would go.
They are evaluated every year and can be fired and are.
Thanks for pointing out my misuse of the word. I am sure there are plenty of similar mistakes in my comments. How about pointing them out to me.
It might be matched by the Library Association.
BTW I never said they made 75% “less” than suburban teachers, I said they made about 75% as much.
Hmm. Sounds like free market capitalism (ie., supply and demand) is intruding on the teachers union's attempt to fleece taxpayers.
Oh freaking well. Boo hoo.
Huh? Free market capitalism has nothing to do with the number of jobs in the suburbs.
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