Teachers Unions Abuse Non-Union Teacher Paychecks

[guysenjem]

So she wants the benefits of a union - higher pay better work conditions and refuses to pay for it even when given a chance to opt out? She missed the deadline end of story for this dead beat. How much you want to bet she is getting paid on a fake medical leave? She's a leech.

[UltraProle21]

public employee unions are the taxpayers' enemy

[rustyscrapper]

Oh yeah, if you dont work 1200 hours a year minimum your benefits are cut off.

most members are given about 1000 hours of work a year, then laid off.

[rustyscrapper]

You think thats a bad deal?

Laborers union landscaping *special* agreement: You make $11 per hour, company contributes $6 per hour into a black hole pension fund, and you pay 75 cents on every hour you work in dues making your real wage 10.25 per hour which is exactly the minimum wage in ontario.

If you even manage to work 2000 hours in a year, that puts your dues at $1500 per year.

[eric251982]

Well, she should have joined the union. Then she would have received union protections.

[adulby]

Why dont we just make an amendment that says any public employee cannot vote? They used to have something like that but politicians realized they could get rich off public campaign money.

[gunslingr45]

“When school children start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of school children.”-Albert Shanker, past president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

Pretty much says it all.....

[MtVirtus]

pollyzashin, your analysis is flawed. How can one determine which benefits have been won by mandatory union representation that would not have been given by the district employer without the representation? After all, neither Becky nor any Pueblo 70 teacher or classified employee is not legally able to refuse benefits. If you are arguing that it should be legal for public-sector workers to opt out of mandatory union representation & choose a competitive source for representation, I support you.

[pollyzashin]

This woman may be a hardship case, but I would have more sympathy if she not only refused to join the union but refused to accept any benefits (ie., raises, health insurance, etc.) that the union negotiated. Otherwise, she is a classic "free rider"--someone who for some reason feels entitled to benefits gained by the efforts of others but refuses to bear a fair share of the cost of obtaining those benefits.

[brentrjones]

This is stupid. I am a public school teacher. In Illinois I can be in the union and pay $799 or not join the union and pay $5 less.

[iguanadragon5]

Get real. A teacher is complaining because she had to write a letter? Teachers know how to write. She does not have to be part of the union -- but teachers were paid poorly and treated worse before unions. Unions have raised the standard of living for working people in this country. The rich fund right wing politicians to try to destroy unions. And the rich get richer...

[MtVirtus]

@iguanadragon5 Really? Where is your human compassion? Did you actually watch the video? Why did union officials refuse to grant a hardship exemption because of all the circumstances that combined to keep her from submitting a certified letter during a very narrow period of the year. Why is the burden of proof and action placed EVERY YEAR on teachers and other employees who DON'T WANT to be part of the union?

[iguanadragon5]

@MtVirtus I have plenty of human compassion. I am a teacher too, and I work with underprivileged kids who really have tough lives. I am an activist against modern global slavery -- the Hershey bar I used to eat, was made partly by child slaves in Africa. There are people around the world in horrible life situations. This woman states that she received benefits from the union negotiating on her behalf, but she doesn't want to pay. And can't be bothered to write a letter. Please.

[STUBBORNOTTER]

Pay teacher for what they do- babysit! Give them less than minimum wage say $3.00/hr. That's $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6 1/2 hours). Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Each if each teacher has 30 students/day .So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year! I am not going to pay them for any vacations. That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year.

[cliffy827]

Make the public unions do collective bargaining with the tax payers in their school gymnasiums and see how long they stay in existence. Show their current pay and benefits packages to the tax payers and see how far the "It's for the children" argument goes.

[ace8842]

No one should be forced to be a union member, and no one should be force to give to political candidates or issues that they don't want to. It is unamerican.

[furyofbongos]

It's not the unions, it's the government that makes laws on their behalf. There would be little union power it the gun of government wasn't under the table forcing people like this lady to give up her money.

[MtVirtus]

If unions work, as you say, why do some unions like this one force people to opt out or pay the full price? Why do they need special protections to function?

[eric251982]

@MtVirtus

Teachers need protections, not 'special protections.' If you disagree, then please tell me why fire fighters and police need unions. Do they also have 'special protections?"

[trouter300]

I''m a teacher in Colorado and I think the teacher's union is vital to education. I proudly pay dues knowing that my union is ensuring that I have what I need to do my job. Our school recently asked the union to intervene when our district decided to willy nilly mandate adherence to a particular curriculum and methodology that even district's own administration did not support. If the union had not intervened then children would have lost valuable learning time.  Unions work!

[ace8842]

@trouter300 Sorry, but this is nonsense. In Washington DC they spend 14,000 a year for students and the schools stink. In Camden, NJ, it is 18,000. There is little correlation between money spent and a great education. Some school districts compete with each other for the best sports facilities and buildings...things that have little to do with education and grades. It's about keeping up with other schools. Here are some right to work states and rankings..FLA - 3, TX - 8, KS - 7, VA -12

[vclxrr]

You know, i feel the same way about the social security taxes that are automatically taken out of ppl's paychecks. I understand that that's a different debate altogether, but i think there's a similar feeling of being held up at gun point by a neighbor who says that they're taking your money for your own good and for the good of everyone.

[flyboymd82]

Isn't it interesting that the national teachers union pushed for Obamacare and now that its passed, they've gotten a waiver to opt out of it?

Payback for the millions of dollars they gave to Obama to push The very socialized healthcare they want out of but want THE REST OF US to deal with?

Fucking hypocrites!

[gsvkck]

@flyboymd82 This video is about unions and it doesn't even mention healthcare or Obama yet you somehow found a way to talk about him. Dumbass republicans haven't you people ruined America enough? Ron Paul 2012!

[falcondriver100]

@gsvkck So he's not allowed to mention anything not mentioned in the video? Fact is Teachers unions SUCK.

PS genius, Ron Paul IS a Republican. EPIC FAIL!!!!!! Oh, and don't look now but its the liberals who've bankrupted us & got our triple A rating lowered & crashed the stock market. Idiots like you should just keep thier mouths shut.

[gsvkck]

@falcondriver100 He's a Libertarian registered as Republican. Its my fault for assuming you're smart enough to realize that. Key difference of course is Ron Paul supporters are talking about real issues facing America, while you Palin lovers are chanting anti-Obama mantra. I'm a conservative, and its idiots like you who cost us the last election with your palinesk quotes. Sit down quietly and let real men do the voting in this country.

[falcondriver100]

@gsvkck LMAO! So I'm stupid for knowing the TRUTH?? That makes a LOT of sense you idiot! Your type are the ones who make conservatives look stupid. What makes you think I'm not a Ron Paul supporter? What makes you think I"m a Palin supporter? Its called "assume" which makes an ASS of U & ME.

What cost us the last election was putting a RINO jackass in as the Candidate & Uneducated fools voting for a slogan and skin color, not to mention the media.

Kiss my ass, then get a life moron.

[gsvkck]

@falcondriver100 Oh please stop, you wouldn't know truth if it hit you in the face. Read my post and you might learn something. We lost because Bush screwed it up so bad the country was ready to move on, however I felt the election was winnable had mccain picked a half decent vp. Americans are looking for real ideas to solve our problems not mantra and finger pointing. There might be hope for you if you, just learn to listen those who knows more.

[falcondriver100]

@gsvkck There you go again with that arrogance, thinking you know more than anyone else! So you think skin color "hope & change" and the bought & paid for Media propagandist had nothing to do with it? Are you kidding me?

Keep the attitude up. Every fool I ever met thought he knew it all as well.

[gsvkck]

@falcondriver100 I don't know everything, but I'm sure I know more than you. Change/hope is just their slogan, who gives a shit, means nothing to me. To get back to my point of viewing this video: Screw the teacher unions, they ruined our education system.

[eric251982]

@gsvkck

If you feel that teacher unions have ruined education, then what are your thoughts on police and fire fighter unions ruining law enforcement and firefighting?

[gsvkck]

@eric251982 I don't know about firefighter union, so I won't speak on that. But I haven't notice a decline in level of service. Cops on the other hand are out of control, I'm not even sure who's side their on anymore.

[UCSDEngineerDoctor]

@flyboymd82 Well said. You really opened up the flood gates of OBAMA corruption.

[meast36]

Teachers Unions are like the mafia. The biggest pieces of shit in the world, they take advantage of children and those who are attempting to enrich their lives. Unions can go to hell!!

[MtVirtus]

bweazel, CO generally doesn't have right to work, but teachers here do (not necessarily other K-12 school employees, though). In any case, that doesn't protect them from some local boards and unions negotiating bizarre, burdensome requirements like the annual opt-out provisions discussed in the video.

[bweazel]

Do you guys not have right to work in Colorado?

[mdouglaswray]

How many teachers are complaining?