Happy Labor Day to all, especially my union brethren! Grumble all you want but the unions have made the work place a better place for you and me. The link below has a good perspective, (from that commie rag, The Evansville Courier).
Union's no longer serve their members. They would rather destroy a company than help control cost and keep the company running. Depending on a government bail out is not a plan. I have no use for Unions.
The teachers union I belong to serves us well at the local level with what bargaining power we have left and our state level has tried as much as it can to reign in the union bashing, anti-public school legislators. Now, cue the chorus of public sector union haters.
Have unions outlived their usefulness? So exactly what does a Union do for its members? Basically union members pay someone to talk for them to improve their benefits. This is not really a negotiation , it’s more like black mail. We the employee’s of your company want more of the profits, want less work, want to be kept on the roles even if we suck or are job goes away. If we do not get what we want , we will go out on strike , or basically try to put you out of business. Let’s take a look at two different unions, first we will start with a more difficult one . Teachers Unions will be the target of this talk. Why teachers unions? It’s because the people of the state pay their salaries. For the most part state taxes for teacher pay is part of the state and county budgets in most states. The budget is driven by state and local taxes, So pay for the most part is fixed by law. Teacher pay is not linked to performance it is linked to education level and years of experience. Teachers are also required to continue their education in most states to attain a higher degree, which to me is a trap. If all of your teachers have masters degree’s the cost of education which is driven by education level and years of experience has just gone up, a self inflicted wound. Can we blame this on the unions? Are students better off with a teacher who has a Masters Degree, or is this a way to raise pay without raising production? Does the union go to the teachers and explain to them they will sooner or later become too expensive to retain? I doubt if they do, but they will lobby for a tenure program that will allow the high price teachers remain but not tie anything to productivity. Since the tax payers are footing this bill , who are the unions really screwing? If you’re part of the school system that deals with budgets, you now have a problem. You have a fixed budget , but the salaries are going up , sooner or later you hire fewer teachers . Then the union demands fewer students per class, the school board has one option, raise taxes, it’s for the children. Now a simple one, General Motors, you know the people that had to be bailed out by ,, guess who ,, THE TAX PAYERS. The union was willing to let General Motors collapse and have all the union members be out of work than compromise and confess to pushing the company into bankruptcy. The Union boss’s were betting on the government bailing the company out rather than have all those people on unemployment. The Union won, we Americans lost. JOG
There was a proposed addendum to a bill that was up for passage. This addendum would have allowed school administrators to have teachers stay at school as long as the administrator deemed necessary. No extra pay, no comp time, etc... The ISTA brought this to light and it was removed. I'm sure there are many such examples of how other unions represent their rank and file. Do I agree with everything the ISTA does? No, but if they weren't there I can't even imagine what new "reforms" the GOP would be coming up with.
Unions brought about a great many needed workplace reforms. But most businesses today realize that they must have good employees if they want to produce a good product and provide pay and benefits to get the best people. If the employer is looking for cut rate labor they offshore. Outside of the building trades, unions generally protect the worst employees and prevent the rewarding of the good.
I am not sure why public sector employees need a union. But if they do, then that union should be prevented from political contributions. As a GOPer I find it galling to see my tax money paid to the union who funnels cash in overwhelming amounts to the democrat party who then gives raises (using my tax dollars) to the employee, who then pays union dues, etc., etc., etc.. The mob could not have developed a better scheme.
As to teachers unions...my daughter belongs, and is a teacher, so I know the long hours she spends, including nights weekends and during summer and winter breaks. The legislature has made teaching a much harder job. teachers spend as much time doing paperwork as teaching any more.
Now here is the BUT. If the teachers union had not insisted on odious tenure and protected bad teachers (a small percentage btw), then there would not have been the overreaching reforms. You know there were bad teachers coasting along secure in their job at your school, teach.
The bottom line is teachers want to be treated as professionals. You have the education. For the most part professional people work longer hours and don't get paid. We get the work rules changed without notice. We put in well over 40 every week. We get paid more than the guy on the floor but we don't have the security or fixed hours. The boss calls us to a five o'clock meeting and we don't get paid more for attending. Few of us have a contract, we can be fired and hired at will. We are rewarded fir our work as individuals, not as a collective.
That is life as a professional white collar worker. Otherwise you are union labor. You can't have it both ways.
Teachers were treated like the "workers on the floor" that's why the unions were formed. I'm guessing that if the union evaporated today this "professional" treatment you speak of would NOT happen. Bad teachers could always be fired. The problem was the administrators didn't have #$%%^, (it's school time so I try to limit my cursing), to get rid of them. Yes it required documentation but it could very easily be done. I know this because, yes indeedy, we have bad teachers in out building and the problem is ignored. Parents complain, teachers complain- ZIP because the administrator will look bad if he had this teacher for so long and did nothing OR he/she is a buddy of the principal OR the principal is to lazy to do anything. The union system has many flaws but I don't think we can safely say that if they were gone ALL businesses would act favorably to their workers.
I do know many teachers who want the bad ones gone from the profession. The current system in Indiana where teachers scores are based on comparing the test scores of last years class to this years class is beyond idiotic.
99.9% of teachers do a good job.
I am also admittably biased against unions since I dealt with their idiotic profit killing acts and rules in past manufacturing lives. For the record I have belonged to two unions and begrudged the dues taken from my pay every week.
Happy Labor Day to all, especially my union brethren!
ReplyDeleteGrumble all you want but the unions have made the work place a better place for you and me. The link below has a good perspective, (from that commie rag, The Evansville Courier).
http://www.courierpress.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-enjoy-holiday-but-dont-forget-people-were-celebrating_74156682
Out of curiosity, Joe, did you daughter join one of the teacher unions?
Union's no longer serve their members. They would rather destroy a company than help control cost and keep the company running. Depending on a government bail out is not a plan. I have no use for Unions.
ReplyDeleteJames Old Guy
The teachers union I belong to serves us well at the local level with what bargaining power we have left and our state level has tried as much as it can to reign in the union bashing, anti-public school legislators.
ReplyDeleteNow, cue the chorus of public sector union haters.
Have unions outlived their usefulness? So exactly what does a Union do for its members? Basically union members pay someone to talk for them to improve their benefits. This is not really a negotiation , it’s more like black mail. We the employee’s of your company want more of the profits, want less work, want to be kept on the roles even if we suck or are job goes away. If we do not get what we want , we will go out on strike , or basically try to put you out of business. Let’s take a look at two different unions, first we will start with a more difficult one . Teachers Unions will be the target of this talk. Why teachers unions? It’s because the people of the state pay their salaries. For the most part state taxes for teacher pay is part of the state and county budgets in most states. The budget is driven by state and local taxes, So pay for the most part is fixed by law. Teacher pay is not linked to performance it is linked to education level and years of experience. Teachers are also required to continue their education in most states to attain a higher degree, which to me is a trap. If all of your teachers have masters degree’s the cost of education which is driven by education level and years of experience has just gone up, a self inflicted wound. Can we blame this on the unions? Are students better off with a teacher who has a Masters Degree, or is this a way to raise pay without raising production? Does the union go to the teachers and explain to them they will sooner or later become too expensive to retain? I doubt if they do, but they will lobby for a tenure program that will allow the high price teachers remain but not tie anything to productivity. Since the tax payers are footing this bill , who are the unions really screwing? If you’re part of the school system that deals with budgets, you now have a problem. You have a fixed budget , but the salaries are going up , sooner or later you hire fewer teachers . Then the union demands fewer students per class, the school board has one option, raise taxes, it’s for the children.
ReplyDeleteNow a simple one, General Motors, you know the people that had to be bailed out by ,, guess who ,, THE TAX PAYERS. The union was willing to let General Motors collapse and have all the union members be out of work than compromise and confess to pushing the company into bankruptcy. The Union boss’s were betting on the government bailing the company out rather than have all those people on unemployment. The Union won, we Americans lost.
JOG
There was a proposed addendum to a bill that was up for passage. This addendum would have allowed school administrators to have teachers stay at school as long as the administrator deemed necessary. No extra pay, no comp time, etc... The ISTA brought this to light and it was removed. I'm sure there are many such examples of how other unions represent their rank and file.
ReplyDeleteDo I agree with everything the ISTA does? No, but if they weren't there I can't even imagine what new "reforms" the GOP would be coming up with.
Unions brought about a great many needed workplace reforms. But most businesses today realize that they must have good employees if they want to produce a good product and provide pay and benefits to get the best people. If the employer is looking for cut rate labor they offshore. Outside of the building trades, unions generally protect the worst employees and prevent the rewarding of the good.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure why public sector employees need a union. But if they do, then that union should be prevented from political contributions. As a GOPer I find it galling to see my tax money paid to the union who funnels cash in overwhelming amounts to the democrat party who then gives raises (using my tax dollars) to the employee, who then pays union dues, etc., etc., etc.. The mob could not have developed a better scheme.
As to teachers unions...my daughter belongs, and is a teacher, so I know the long hours she spends, including nights weekends and during summer and winter breaks. The legislature has made teaching a much harder job. teachers spend as much time doing paperwork as teaching any more.
Now here is the BUT. If the teachers union had not insisted on odious tenure and protected bad teachers (a small percentage btw), then there would not have been the overreaching reforms. You know there were bad teachers coasting along secure in their job at your school, teach.
The bottom line is teachers want to be treated as professionals. You have the education. For the most part professional people work longer hours and don't get paid. We get the work rules changed without notice. We put in well over 40 every week. We get paid more than the guy on the floor but we don't have the security or fixed hours. The boss calls us to a five o'clock meeting and we don't get paid more for attending. Few of us have a contract, we can be fired and hired at will. We are rewarded fir our work as individuals, not as a collective.
That is life as a professional white collar worker. Otherwise you are union labor. You can't have it both ways.
Teachers were treated like the "workers on the floor" that's why the unions were formed. I'm guessing that if the union evaporated today this "professional" treatment you speak of would NOT happen.
ReplyDeleteBad teachers could always be fired. The problem was the administrators didn't have #$%%^, (it's school time so I try to limit my cursing), to get rid of them. Yes it required documentation but it could very easily be done. I know this because, yes indeedy, we have bad teachers in out building and the problem is ignored. Parents complain, teachers complain- ZIP because the administrator will look bad if he had this teacher for so long and did nothing OR he/she is a buddy of the principal OR the principal is to lazy to do anything.
The union system has many flaws but I don't think we can safely say that if they were gone ALL businesses would act favorably to their workers.
I do know many teachers who want the bad ones gone from the profession. The current system in Indiana where teachers scores are based on comparing the test scores of last years class to this years class is beyond idiotic.
ReplyDelete99.9% of teachers do a good job.
I am also admittably biased against unions since I dealt with their idiotic profit killing acts and rules in past manufacturing lives. For the record I have belonged to two unions and begrudged the dues taken from my pay every week.