A Union Rant

With two kids about to be teachers you might think I would be supportive of  the unions in the current Wisconsin battle. Not so. The governor is brave, taking a stand that should of been taken years ago....there is no money. 

Good teachers should be savored (merit raises) and cherished as they are sending our children down a path stretching 80 years.  Instilling a love of learning is right up there with the parents responsibility of teaching morals, manners and human rights. Those not suited should be encouraged to look for other employ (not tenured)

WI is not picking on teachers...they just don't have the money to continue to shell out to all the unions.   Unions have been unnecessary for several decades in America and should never have been allowed in the public sector. Unions were established  to provide equal balance between public and private workers and should have been abolished as workers  surpassed the private sector in wages and benefits.

Collective bargaining....

 The Wall Street Journal explains how the teachers fringe benefits in WI have reached over 74% of salary.  An average teacher salary in WI is $56K... add fringes and you have over $100K. They not only receive social security when they retire but supplemental pension (in some cases two) and paid  health insurance.  Read these links and you see the scam. My tax money doesn't want to pay them double or triple retirement.  Average salary in the private sector is $37K with 24% of benefits and instead of a supplemental pension paid by the state, they have to put aside their own money in 401K's to be able to retire.  No cushy pensions for them. 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703408604576164290717724956.html

Wisconsin will go bankrupt because unions are greedy.  Who was looking out for the rights of the people of Wisconsin?  They couldn't even agree to pay 12.6% of their health care.  Do  private businesses pay for total health care for their workers?  No-o.

The Retirees are the worst, they are pulling funds and not adding any value.  Not just this union which provides those golden pensions and  continues to pay retirees  health care and other benefits the rest of their life but all public and private unions.  Believe me I see them all the time, with their pensions intact. Even companies facing bankruptcy can't cut retiree benefits because of collective bargaining and unions.  My tax money says we need to support our younger workers. 

This link shows salary of all teachers in Wisconsin.  Since we don't know the teachers names just click on a school and pick show all for that school.  You can also check on administrators. 

http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/dataondemand/33534649.html

Another interesting website showed that SAT/ACT scores weren't better in Wisconsin. In fact scores haven't gotten any better in 10 years. 

Overall  teacher control over students and content is worse, scores are no better, truency is worse and dropout rates are higher.

In Idaho students are protesting new education cuts that mean larger class sizes and fewer teachers.  It's only one of the ways that the budget can be cut.  Not one that I would of chosen...I would of chosen special programs, printing everything in English only, textbook and library budgets, etc. Programs I am sure the feds (or the unions) don't let you change! We can all think of lots of ways to save money and I bet each individual school can also. Much as the students protest, a start has to be made, budgets must be cut.  Was it only within the last three years that we built all the new schools? We build auditoriums and now they want to cut out music.  We build stadiums and there is no money for athletics. We have plenty of hallways to decorate and no money for art teachers? Oh, and ....please,   No More New Schools.

 Idaho mandatory PERSI retirement plan as a supplement to social security does have a contibution from the employee (about 7% to employeers 10%)  But how can we pay what is promised in the PERSI retirement? 

To Quote When you retire, the PERSI Base Plan will pay you every month for as long as you live, and if you choose a Contingent Annuitant at retirement, after you die that person will continue receiving a benefit for the rest of his or her life.

You "make back" every dollar you put into the PERSI Base Plan within about your first three and a half years of retirement. For instance, say you put $60,000 into PERSI during your career. If your monthly benefit is $1,500, you will receive your $60,000 back in just over three years. But, we will continue paying you that $1,500 (plus yearly Cost of Living Adjustments – COLAs) every month for the rest of your life. If you are retired for another 30 years, you will receive another $540,000 from PERSI (plus COLAs – so the value will really be much higher.). It would be extremely difficult to find another investment with such a secure, long-term return.

Where is that money coming from?  Who's paying it?  I am supportive of employer/employee matched funds in 401K type plans but this?  If the funds are making that large a return shouldn't it be made for the state education budget, the current teachers, not for retired individuals?

I worked in a union plant when I was 19 and belonged to the electrical workers union.  Members voted to go on strike for more money and benefits.  I thought I had a great job (and was the envy of many for my pay).  So I ran the picket line and worked.  Things were more physical then and it was scary hitting the gas pedal and barrelling through the picket line each morning  and pitted many employees against each other.  They settled in about a week for a few more cents.  The union called it a victory but those who walked out  that week lost more money than if they would of continued to work for the entire next year.  But union officials are obligated to bargain for more every year to rationalize taking our dues money. That company paid well but eventually was forced out of the market.

 Unions have put many a good company out of business.  Now they are putting the state out of business.

This is my first blog on this spot.  I'll try to update about once a week.  I look forward to getting out my frustrations on immigration, religion and getting old.  Humor is also the Best Medicine.  Unitl next time.