Why the left hates teachers

[formerlurker]

Vote could push Chicago closer to teachers strike.

AP article

[thundley4]

The union wants a two-year deal that reduces class size and calls for teachers to receive a 24 percent pay raise in the first year and a 5 percent pay raise in the second year.

F*ck them!  Let them strike , 50% of their students fail anyway.  Tell them that if they strike they will get no back pay when they finally setttle, and in the meantime hire permanent replacements where possible, and those who are replaced are SOOL.

[J. M. Pyne]

Stupid question, but can Chicago teachers strike?  I suppose they can.  Seems wrong.  Fed unions do not have that right.

[docstew]

Stupid question, but can Chicago teachers strike?  I suppose they can.  Seems wrong.  Fed unions do not have that right.

Depends on the contract. When the ATC union had their strike in the early 80's, Reagan fired them all because they have a no strike clause in their CBA. I doubt Chicago Teacher's Union has the same clause, meaning they have the ability to hold the taxpayers hostage.

Please, CTU, go ahead and strike. Show the citizens of that city how you are more concerned about yourselves than the education of the children. Also, please Lord, let Obama publicly support the teachers in this action. A long, acrimonious strike may be enough to put IL in play, especially if WI and IN start showing the benefits of reining in public worker unions.

[movie buff]

Stupid question, but can Chicago teachers strike?  I suppose they can.  Seems wrong.  Fed unions do not have that right.

Maybe, maybe not. As others said, it depends on the teachers' contract.
It does indeed seem wrong. One of the main union- related issues most conservatives have, brought into the public eye by the Wisconsin teachers' strike last year, is that public- sector unions (i.e. Teachers, police officers) should not be allowed to go on strike.
See, when private- sector unions strike, it's just between the workers and their employers (And occasionally the customers who may be inconvenienced by it), nobody else really gets involved or impacted by it.
In contrast, when public- sector unions strike, it directly impacts everyone in the community, and the taxpayers as a whole (Whose taxes pay the public- sector workers' salaries) are basically held hostage to the unions' demands.
That is simply not right.

[obumazombie]

A better term than public sector is government sector. I saw that on a Hannity panel discussion.

[Kyle Ricky]

We had a teachers strike at my daughters school about two years ago. It kept school from starting the year on time. They ended up having to go till the end of June to make up for the time.

[Bad Dog]

Public sector unions strike against their fellow citizens.  Timing is everything.  They seem to go better when unemployment is below 5% & their fellow citizens aren't terrified about their future.  But, nobody ever said timing was the Dummie's strong suit.

[Gina]

fire them and hire new one's.  I don't see what is so damn hard.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Let them strike now. It is summer.

[thundley4]

Let them strike now. It is summer.

If they vote to strike, they should start manning their picket lines.  Also, if they vote to strike now, that gives plenty of time to hire new teachers.  Screw the union, make the schools all non-union.

[Ralph Wiggum]

If they vote to strike, they should start manning their picket lines.  Also, if they vote to strike now, that gives plenty of time to hire new teachers.  Screw the union, make the schools all non-union.

As many of you already know, the former Mrs. Wiggum is a teacher. And in the Chicago area. But never a union member, because she always taught in private schools. She's more middle of the road politically, but she despised unions.

So there's my semi-bouncy of the day. ;D

[formerlurker]

Teachers cannot go on strike in MA (it's a state law, not contract stipulation) - they do something instead known as work to the contract, which means they do not do a thing outside the contract (leave when the school bells rings, don't come in early, do nothing at home, refuse to do recommendations for colleges for HS students, etc.). 

I found this about IL:

Under a new Illinois law, at least 75 percent of the district's 25,500 teachers would have to vote in favor of a strike authorization.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/08/chicago-teachers-strike-v_0_n_1582547.html

[Karin]

One of the things that pisses off the DUmp teachers is the notion that "anyone can teach."  It pisses them off because it's true.  If I had kids, I would trust this collection of CCers to instruct the little darlings far more than the DUmpmonkey "educators."  I'd be thrilled in fact.   

24% raise, with 5% after that?  Who the hell do they think they are? 

[Splashdown]

This is why public schools suck. I work in a private school on a year-to-year contract. I can be fired at the end of any school year for any reason. It's MY job to make sure I get hired back the next year. Wanna know how I've survived for 16 years? I'm pretty good. My focus is on doing my job well, because my job depends on it--kind of like everyone else's in the world.

[Gina]

This is why public schools suck. I work in a private school on a year-to-year contract. I can be fired at the end of any school year for any reason. It's MY job to make sure I get hired back the next year. Wanna know how I've survived for 16 years? I'm pretty good. My focus is on doing my job well, because my job depends on it--kind of like everyone else's in the world.

I like people like you.  Merit minded work ethic.

[Splashdown]

One of the things that pisses off the DUmp teachers is the notion that "anyone can teach."  It pisses them off because it's true.  If I had kids, I would trust this collection of CCers to instruct the little darlings far more than the DUmpmonkey "educators."  I'd be thrilled in fact.   

24% raise, with 5% after that?  Who the hell do they think they are? 

Karin, the failure rate of teachers is pretty high. About half leave the profession in the first few years. The notion that "anyone can teach" isn't true. It's a pretty difficult job. It's just that if you survive five years, it's almost impossible to get rid of you unless you commit a felony or something in the public schools.

The answer? Do away with teachers' unions. Let teachers negotiate their contracts separately. Reward the good ones. Help or remove the bad ones. Pretty straightforward.

[Gina]

One of the things that pisses off the DUmp teachers is the notion that "anyone can teach."  It pisses them off because it's true.  If I had kids, I would trust this collection of CCers to instruct the little darlings far more than the DUmpmonkey "educators."  I'd be thrilled in fact.   

24% raise, with 5% after that?  Who the hell do they think they are? 

 

[Karin]

Understood, Splashdown.  That was a broadbrush statement. 

At the article at the top of the thread, there is precisely zero love for the Chicago teachers and their union in the comments.

[docstew]

I guess we know who's teaching sex ed...

[Gina]

  who?

[wasp69]

who?

TVDOC, duh!

[Gina]

   Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh  you have to spell things out for me! 

[obumazombie]

It's like the libs have never heard of homeschooling. Theoretically any monopolistic practice is illegal under US law. The NEA using monopolistic tactics should be charged with that in individual counts, and as a pattern in a RICO.

[MrsSmith]

This is why public schools suck. I work in a private school on a year-to-year contract. I can be fired at the end of any school year for any reason. It's MY job to make sure I get hired back the next year. Wanna know how I've survived for 16 years? I'm pretty good. My focus is on doing my job well, because my job depends on it--kind of like everyone else's in the world.

Yep.  The only point to tenure, IMHO, is for good teachers that have "the wrong politics."  I'm very happy about tenure because my husband, who is a good teacher, can't be fired for being a conservative.  He has, however, come home very unhappy after being on hiring committees and seeing completely qualified applicants passed over because they have taught or gone to school in "the wrong" kind of place.  Especially applicants with a religious education...they are almost never even considered.