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6
Oct 2008
Teachers want respect? They should show it
Posted by Scott Spielman
at 6:10 PM | Comments (10)
Citing the need to get the attention of the administration, educators in the Wayne-Westland Community School District effectively went on strike Monday morning.
Union reps said throughout the contentious negotiation process, district representative have made it clear that they have no respect for teachers.
That’s ridiculous. I think it’s more likely that the union side of the equation has little respect for economic realities. The district has lost students, which means less revenue. Any increases in foundation allowance haven’t kept pace with the rise in health care costs, fuel costs, utility costs and salaries. Yet they demand more money, the same benefits and reduced class sizes—which everyone would love to have, but would bring with it additional salary expenses.
It doesn’t say much for the amount of respect that they have to leave families scrambling for day care options, either.
The district has made attempts to cast as clear a light as they can on the negotiations. They’ve posted on their web site the most recent proposal they made to the union, a Q & A about it and a response from Stephen Becher, a retired teacher and current member of the school board.
I think the district would be best served if the unions took a look around and measured the big picture before they resorted to these kinds of tactics.
Comments (10)
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