For teacher pay, unions and union-haters should compromise

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/os-scott-maxwell-merit-pay-032110-20100320,0,4387307.column

Scott Maxwell TAKING NAMES

March 21, 2010


To summarize the relationship between Republican legislators and school teachers in this state, think of Cujo.

Fellow scare buffs will remember Stephen King's rabid Saint Bernard terrorizing Dee Wallace and her young son. The dog's only goal: To destroy them.

Florida Republicans are the foaming-at-the-mouth attack dog. They are so obsessed with union-busting that educating children barely enters their minds.


Click here for Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Thomas' take on the debate over merit pay for teachers: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/os-mike-thomas-merit-pay-pro-032110-20100321,0,3930824.column


Teachers, trapped inside their proverbial Ford Pinto, are rightfully on the defensive against these politicians who seem to take pride in short-changing our schools and our children.

Yet the unions have also become so obsessed with blocking the Republican's devious plans, that they are no longer striving to fix an obviously ailing system either.

The war between angry adults rages on ad nauseam (much like the middle 45 minutes of King's movie) — with schoolchildren the losers.

Compromise is needed.

FULL story at link.

[endless october]

1. union haters should be marginalized and ignored.

union hating assholes still benefit from the work unions have done over the past 100 years. and their grandchildren will suffer because of their union-busting behavior.

it's always fun to ask a union hater what he'll be doing over his two day weekend after finishing his 40 hour work week. most often, the union hater answers that he'll be spending time with his six year old child who isn't employed in a sweatshop, cooking out with meat that was processed under strict regulations, and doing all that in a house powered by coal that wasn't mined in a company town by debt slaves.

but they never seem to make the connection that the rights they enjoy are because of the blood, sweat, and tears of union workers and that it could easily go back to the way it was in the "good old days" of shitty laissez faire working conditions.

pisses me off to no end.

[catnhatnh]

2. You know Steve, that theUnions have ALREADY compromised...

That's exactly what their contract is-a legal contract between the school board and teachers to compromise. The wailing assholes here are people who revere the sanctity of corporations then want to unilaterally abrogate a legally binding contract that the corporation (school board) signed.