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vern_humphrey
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As Uncle Herbivore says, “Some things are too serious to laugh about. Hemmrhoids are funny. Rectal cancer is not.”
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Lizzie
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One administrator wrote he ‘showed an interest in his students’ as an evalution for a pass the trash molester.
Things were so bad that many areas have passed legislation to fingerprint all teachers. This was done to check for past arrests and convictions of teachers.
Predictably the teachers’ union fought this, claiming that fingerprinting does not predict future behavior. Of course it doesn’t but it can enable districts to weed out teacher criminals. The NEA refuses to acknowledge this.
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vern_humphrey
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Fingerprinting’s purpose isn’t “predicting future behavior.” It’s purpose is to identify people.
As we Catholics have learned to our cost, a record of past sexual misconduct is a good predictor of future sexual misconduct.
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Richardols
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Karin said:
**Damned straight that we’re pro-union and have been for as long as we can remember. We’re both from working class families, Karin. My father worked on the railroad, my mother was a factory worker, my father-in-law was a teamster for the NY newspapers, and my mother-in-law was a union seamstress. Why should I be against the unions? We take our cue from Pope Leo XIII who ackowledged the right of workers to organize, not from the capitalists who were exploiting workers.
I don’t particularly care what the NEA supports. My wife doesn’t belong to that union.
And as for the health benefits - who else would have picked up the now almost $500,000 (and rising) costs of her cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments - with only a few hundred dollars in co-pays for us? That alone would make me pro-teachers’ union.
BTW, what’s wrong with “gay rights,” Karin? Homosexual marriage is certainly wrong, but I don’t see that any individual should be denied basic civil rights becaue of his or her sexual inclination.
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Karin
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Your going to make me pick a different font color here…not fair!QUOTE=Richardols]Damned straight that we’re pro-union and have been for as long as we can remember. We’re both from working class families, Karin. My father worked on the railroad, my mother was a factory worker, my father-in-law was a teamster for the NY newspapers, and my mother-in-law was a union seamstress. Why should I be against the unions? We take our cue from Pope Leo XIII who ackowledged the right of workers to organize, not from the capitalists who were exploiting workers.
I don’t particularly care what the NEA supports. My wife doesn’t belong to that union.
And as for the health benefits - who else would have picked up the now almost $500,000 (and rising) costs of her cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments - with only a few hundred dollars in co-pays for us? That alone would make me pro-teachers’ union.
BTW, what’s wrong with “gay rights,” Karin? Homosexual marriage is certainly wrong, but I don’t see that any individual should be denied basic civil rights becaue of his or her sexual inclination. I thought in a past post she was part of the NEA…that is my mistake.
I don’t particularly care what the NEA supports. My wife doesn’t belong to that union.
And as for the health benefits - who else would have picked up the now almost $500,000 (and rising) costs of her cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments - with only a few hundred dollars in co-pays for us? That alone would make me pro-teachers’ union.
BTW, what’s wrong with “gay rights,” Karin? Homosexual marriage is certainly wrong, but I don’t see that any individual should be denied basic civil rights becaue of his or her sexual inclination. I thought in a past post she was part of the NEA…that is my mistake.
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Philip_P
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But haven’t you heard, we’re going to get health savings accounts…you do make enough that you can put aside $500,000 into your health savings account, don’t you?
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Karin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Richardols
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And as for the health benefits - who else would have picked up the now almost $500,000 (and rising) costs of her cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments - with only a few hundred dollars in co-pays for us? That alone would make me pro-teachers’ union.*
Richard-
I am glad to hear that her health benefits are good. But I also have health benefits that cover these things with low co-pays etc. and I am not part of a union nor is my hubby
Originally Posted by Richardols
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And as for the health benefits - who else would have picked up the now almost $500,000 (and rising) costs of her cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments - with only a few hundred dollars in co-pays for us? That alone would make me pro-teachers’ union.*
Richard-
I am glad to hear that her health benefits are good. But I also have health benefits that cover these things with low co-pays etc. and I am not part of a union nor is my hubby
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Richardols
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Philip P:
I forgot about that! And, there’s also putting away a like amount in case I get a catastrophic illness as well. Thank heaven for the health savings accounts.
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Karin
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Nothing is wrong with civil rights for everyone! But what does this have to do with education? Does not the edcuation system have enough problems…shouldn’t they (teachers, union etc.) worry about teaching kids… having them read, write, do math,know history etc.
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Richardols
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You’ve got a fine employer, if your health plan will pick up 100% of the costs of a catastrophic illness. But, believe me, most non-union workers don’t have such fine benefits.
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Karin
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How are teachers being exploited by having to teach to a certain standard, be qualified???
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Karin
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Well that sucks…but that shoulf be the start of another thread!!
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Richardols
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You can attribute it, I’d think, to the union’s broader outlook on the society they’re part of.
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Richardols
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The right to organize is aside from the standard at which any worker has to work or be qualified. A coal miner doesn’t have to produce so many tons of coal before he is allowed to unionize.
I was speaking of the general right to organize, Karin, not of any specific union.
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Karin
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Ahhh…
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Philip_P
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This also highlights why unions are good for society as a whole, and not just union workers. I’m not in a union either, but also have health insurance. It’s almost a standard benefit these days. This is only because the drive by unions for better standards for their workers have helped create a society-wide expectation of better conditions for all workers (by workers I mean everyone who receives a paycheck, not the whole labor/management distinction).
This is also part of the confusion in this thread. The teacher’s union’s job is to push for the rights of the teachers as workers…it’s not really their job to work on educational standards or policy. That’s what management (here, those who hire the teachers and those who are responsible for setting curriculum and standars, folks like the Board of Ed, Department of Ed, and do forth) is supposed to do.
An effective education policy would meet the needs of the workers (as presented by their authorized representative, ie the union) and would make sure the best qualified teachers are hired and the best standards are in place. Laying all the blame at the foot of the union makes about as much sense as blaming the non-management level employees at Enron for that comany’s massive fraud and subsequent collapse.
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vern_humphrey
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Philip P:
Then look at the state of education in the United States – clearly the customer (the children and parents) are given no weight.
An effective education policy would meet the needs of the CHILDREN.
Unions are an arrangement between management and labor. Notice that the customer is not involved nor considered.
Then look at the state of education in the United States – clearly the customer (the children and parents) are given no weight.
An effective education policy would meet the needs of the CHILDREN.
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Richardols
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vern humphrey:
This is not unusual nor wrong. When my father worked for the Pullman Car Co. as an electrician, contracts considered only the railroad and the members of the union, not the passengers who rode the trains.
Certainly you are correct. But, an effective education policy is not dependent on whether or not the teachers in a particular school district are organized or not. The needs of children can be met in any sort of a shop arrangement.
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Philip_P
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Management answers to us, the voters. If we settle for shoddy managment, why are we surprised when managment hires shoddy labor?
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vern_humphrey
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Philip P:
By the way, IF management answers to us, why a union?
Management answers to the pressure groups – like teacher’s unions. Which is why we can’t fire the shoddy labor and improve the schools.
By the way, IF management answers to us, why a union?
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