What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
I don't have the words to convey the ire I feel toward public school teachers who would strike against taxpayers and students. Let me reiterate that, against taxpayers and students. I write those words because that is who the teachers are striking against, not "management." Government isn't business. There is no wealth creation or insufficient distribution of profit earned by all sections of the supply chain. No. There are services paid for by taxpayers. Taxpayers who have agreed to pay a certain percentage of their wages, and have additional monies added to their purchases, in order to pay for services.
"Management" isn't "exploiting" hard working teachers. Teachers are exploiting hard working taxpayers.
Let me just share a couple of quotes and facts regarding the issue.
Chicago Public Schools had to agree to hire new teachers to prevent teachers from working a 7-hour-40-minute day, an " unworkable, seven-hour, 40-minute teacher work day," as described by CTU President Karen Lewis.
Unworkable?
According to the Sun Times, Chicago teachers currently have 170 "instructional" days and work 1039 instructional hours. For this, they make an average of $71,000 a year excluding benefits (using the union's lower average figure). This means that a teacher makes $68.33 per instructional hour.
The average full time worker works 8 hours a day. They work 2000 hours a year (if they take two weeks of vacation).
The median income for a "household" in Chicago is $46,877. This is $9,000 less than the average household income for the state of Illinois.
This means that the median worker in Chicago makes $23.44 an hour. Not nothing, but almost a third of what a teacher makes.
The average employee doesn't have near the perks and benefits of a Chicago teacher. The average employee is paid by a company that is distributing profits. A strike against a company doesn't deal with money that is compulsory. If customers are frustrated by striking workers, or a company's policies regarding its employees, they can buy from a competitor.
If a taxpayer is disgusted with the CTU or CPS, they "can" pull their kids out to pay for a private school. Though they will then be paying for two educations -- the public one taken from taxes as well as the private one -- and will likely be doing so on a salary that is a little more than half what a teacher makes and while working roughly twice as many hours.
Teachers are on the gravy train. They've got it easy, and they have the future in their hands.
It is a travesty.
"Unworkable seven-hour, 40-minute teacher work day?" I guess all those double shifts I worked in construction and at the casinos for a lower wage than teachers were "unworkable" too.
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Comments:
Jun '10
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
Fortunately, some of that money will end up in the private schools where the public school teachers send their children.
Jul '10
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
This evening on the news (I live in a suburb of Chicago) the head of the teachers union was upset because the city knew "their bottom line" - and didn't approve it. Imagine that! The city didn't approve their bottom line. Too bad the city can't fire them all like Reagan did the air controllers.
Sep '10
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
Albert Shanker, once president of the AFT, was quoted as saying
Whether or not he said it, this is the attitude. In some sense, it is reasonable: the unions work for the teachers, not the students. That's their job. The disingenuous part is that they pretend otherwise. Whenever I hear union leaders say that they're doing it for the children, it makes me ill. At least Shanker was honest.
Edit: typo
Edited on September 10, 2012 at 9:27amFeb '12
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
drlorentz: Albert Shanker, once president of the AFT, was quoted as saying
Whether or not he said it, this is the attitude. In some sense, it is reasonable: the unions work for the teachers, not the students. That's their job. The disingenuous part is that they pretend otherwise. Whenever I hear union leaders say that they'redoing it for the children, it makes me ill. At least Shanker was honest.
Edit: typo · 54 minutes ago
Edited 0 minutes ago
Where does Mr. Shanker think teachers get the money to pay their union dues? How about from the parents of the students through taxes that go towards teacher salaries. What a chimp.
Jul '11
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
It was mentioned in a Tribune editorial (I think) that the mayor could decertify the union. I like that idea, but what would happen short term?
Jun '12
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
Reality check.
The Mayor of Chicago is Rahm Emanuel.
He'll decertify any union when a flock of pigs with wings flies by my window.
Jun '12
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
For a little perspective, the company I work for has designated 7 hours 45 minutes as the standard work day.
I don't feel oppressed at all, but I guess that's because I haven't mustered the proper amount of outrage yet.
Sep '10
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
Reading the Tribune article, I was struck by this:
" The union's salary demands were bolstered by an independent fact-finder's report in July that chastised CPS for extending the school day in a time of financial turmoil and without adequately compensating teachers."
Question for all us in the private sector: when you companies have laid off employees and required us to work more, did we get a raise? I certainly haven't.
These teachers are in for the money and benefits, that's all. They don't care about the students. Their noses are out of shape because they have to work a little more?
Mar '11
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
Natalie
Where does Mr. Shanker think teachers get the money to pay their union dues? How about from the parents of the students through taxes that go towards teacher salaries. What a chimp. · 6 hours ago
Whenever the connection between buyer and seller goes through a few intermediaries, customer service drops through the floor. Witness Obamacare, the DMV, or the Post Office.
And there are good reasons for it. The fact is, the customer is NOT the funding source in public schools. Public schools are funded by a tax on property values - wealthiest homeowners pay the most. It is a redistributionist tax.
This is why vouchers and charter schools terrify the unions; customers direct the funding. Such barbaric capitalism is red in tooth and claw!
Jul '12
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
If I may be permitted a perfectly snarky (but appropriately accurate) comment, if the students in the Chicago public schools are not being educated while the union teachers are on strike, how could we tell?
Mar '11
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
Math and reading scores will rise.
Mar '11
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
If Emanual was not a liberal squish and worth anything he would simple state teach or we sack you and ban you from ever working in our school system again. Its the only way to deal with self centered union bullies.
Mar '11
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
The people of Chicago deserve this. They voted for the clowns that supported this union and allowed this to happen. Now they get to own it.
It's time we started putting responsibility for stuff like this on the people themselves.If you support leaders with bad policies, then you're going to get nonsense like this. Let the people of Chicago stew.
Sep '10
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
A greedy union vs Rahm Emanuel. Truly a fight with no good guy, but no matter what the outcome taxpayers and their children lose. And the union will continue to blindly support the same Democrats they are fighting against.
Sep '10
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
Unionizing the Eschaton is what this election is about. Just imagine 22 million unionized public sector healthcare workers to complement the matching rubber gloves and crotch fondling TSA.
As TS Eliot said:
"In my end is the bill."
Edited on September 10, 2012 at 5:41pmJun '12
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
To get back to the original topic...
What this strike is about is spoiled lazy people demanding ever more pay and benefits for ever less work.
Period.
Feb '12
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
As I read this, sitting 105 miles to the North of Chicago, I have but one thought: Thank you Governor Walker!
Jul '10
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
Natalie
drlorentz: Albert Shanker, once president of the AFT, was quoted as saying
Whether or not he said it, this is the attitude. In some sense, it is reasonable: the unions work for the teachers, not the students. That's their job. The disingenuous part is that they pretend otherwise. Whenever I hear union leaders say that they'redoing it for the children, it makes me ill. At least Shanker was honest.
Edit: typo · 54 minutes ago
Edited 0 minutes ago
Where does Mr. Shanker think teachers get the money to pay their union dues? How about from the parents of the students through taxes that go towards teacher salaries. What a chimp. · 7 hours ago
Actually the Illinois democrats have been clever enough to move a lot of school funding to the lottery. It is, of course, "for the children". But when there is money from the lottery, a like amount is then NOT funded from the general revenues.
Apr '11
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
Even if the Mayor could fire all the teachers that would just mean an end to schooling for this year. I mean the requirements to teach at a public school in IL are set up at the state level. There is no way to certify a whole new batch of teachers, plus I doubt he could abolish the Union at the state level anyway...so firing the CPS teachers would just make it a state fight...I doubt Mr. Emanuel has will for that.
Apr '11
Re: What The Chicago Teacher Strike Is About
Thanks for the post. I agree with you mostly, but I have teachers in my family, none in the Chicago area, but extrapolating from the specific to the general, most teachers work more that just the classroom hours.
I would say that for every instructional day, most teachers work an additional 2 hours at home or when students are out of class, so that's another 10 hours per week. so its more like 10 hour days, of which 7:40 is in classes with students or on campus dealing with students.
So by my calculation its closer to 41.77 per hour.
Also, to be fair, I am seldom required to purchase basic supplies for my job; whereas teachers are often expected to provide supplies for the classroom out of their own pockets.
I agree that the Unions are bad for our country, and they distort what the actual relationship between taxpayer and teacher really is, but distortion on our side to make our position look better sours the argument and makes their point for them.