Friday, September 03, 2010

Union on strike against Ohio teachers union
I'm sorry, but this is just toooo funny.

It appears that the OEA is stiffing these poor, oppressed members of the working class. The heartless bastards! The imperious, greedy corporate overlords!!
"OEA officers and managers need to practice what they preach. It's a pretty high form of hypocrisy for OEA officers and managers to be giving us this treatment when they expect us to protect OEA members from the same treatment out in the schools," said Norm Young, president of the Professional Staff Union.
Young said the workers are dealing with the same issues they help teachers deal with - protecting pensions, health-care benefits, job security, workload and compensation.
Uh, wait. The workers on strike make how much? $111,350, on average?! About $10,000 more than the average school superintendent?

Seriously, does no one at NEA/OEA get how this illustrates the absurdity of the current situation in public schools? We pretend that people making $80,000 are members of working class on the edge of poverty, ready to be squashed by the man the minute they let go of collective bargaining. When, in reality, they are generally treated as good or better than most professionals. Only with silly working conditions imposed by their own (silly) 240 page contracts.

Don't get me wrong. I am fairly sure the negotiators are well worth the price (and more) to their customers, the teachers.

In the real world, though, wouldn't they all form a company, negotiate a contract without the threat of federal intervention, and provide the best services for the best price? The way the rest of us do it; the way teachers buy everything else in their lives?

No comments: