Monday, July 16, 2012

Talk about killing the goose!


Check out this article from the Trib. The teachers union wants a 30% raise but it looks like they are going to get screwed with a measly 15%. Let me give you the likely outcome of this one, a bankruptcy filing followed by 30% reductions in both salaries and pensions. These bastards are giving organized labor a bad name. 

Chicago Public Schools and the teachers union this week are both expected to reject an arbitrator's long-awaited fact-finding report, which recommends a double-digit salary hike that both sides agree could force teacher layoffs and larger class sizes, according to sources close to the negotiations.

The arbitrator is expected to recommend that teacher salaries be increased 15 to 20 percent in the contract's first year, based largely on the longer school day that begins in the fall, sources said. The increase would include hikes for experience and for pursuing graduate degrees, compensation that CPS has tried to eliminate.

The recommended raises would be devastating to a district poised to deplete its cash reserves to close an expected $665 million deficit next school year. The district also faces hundreds of millions of dollars in teacher pension payments that will come due in 2014.

The Chicago Teachers Union had gone into negotiations asking for a wage increase of nearly 30 percent over two years. Sources said the union realizes that the price of a major pay hike in terms of lost jobs and working conditions would be too high.

Union officials now face the task of explaining to members why it would reject a salary increase that is less than they asked for but significantly higher than the 2 percent first-year raise CPS initially offered.

On Sunday, union Vice President Jesse Sharkey, who declined to comment on the arbitrator's report, said the union must consider many issues beyond wages.

"We've said to our teachers that we want fair compensation," Sharkey said. "We've also said we want a better (school) day and we want to make sure class sizes don't spike. (Our members) know that we simply don't have a wage demand."

The arbitrator's nonbinding report, which was due Monday, now will be given to both sides Wednesday. CTU leaders will meet Wednesday with the union's House of Delegates to discuss the report. Once either side rejects the report, talks must continue for 30 days before a walkout can occur.

CPS also declined to comment on the coming report. District spokeswoman Becky Carroll said contract proposals, whether from the fact-finder or reached through negotiations, "must first be grounded in the fiscal reality CPS faces today and the academic needs of our kids."

"To ignore the gravity of (the district's) financial crisis would be irresponsible to our students and families as well as taxpayers," Carroll said.

Both sides had hoped the arbitrator's report would bridge the divide between CPS and its teachers, forcing them to reset their expectations and work out a deal. Rejecting the fact-finder's report is likely to trigger a more intense round of negotiations.

Authors of the 2011 school reform legislation that set the framework for negotiations included the requirement that contract issues be sent to an arbitrator as part of a larger effort to avoid teacher strikes.

Some are now wondering whether having an arbitrator has helped.

"Until we see how the fact-finder has interpreted his role, I don't think we know how helpful it will be," said Robin Steans, executive director with Advance Illinois, which helped craft the landmark school reform bill. "I don't see how the system can absorb large salary increases without significant staffing cuts."

The arbitrator, Edwin Benn, 63, a Glencoe attorney, was given the task of figuring out fair compensation for CPS teachers as they begin working a longer school day next year. Benn oversees a fact-finding panel that includes representatives from both CPS and CTU.

Both sides have moved off their initial wage offers, sources said, but CPS built its 2 percent increase into its proposed $5.73 billion budget for the next school year, and warned that raising teacher wages any higher would force cuts in staffing and programs.

Contract negotiations are taking place amid a year-long public relations battle between teachers and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Shortly after Emanuel took office, the school board that he appointed rescinded 4 percent raises for teachers, and the mayor took an aggressive approach in his effort to lengthen the school day without the union's consent.

That approach galvanized the union, which flexed its muscle last month as more than 90 percent of members voted to authorize a strike if a new contract can't be reached.

"I think it finally woke the mayor up," said Claire Falk, a social studies teacher at Dunbar High School. "We're getting ready for a strike. We don't want to do it. But we're ready if we need to."

The school reform legislation was meant to limit the union's ability to strike by pushing the threshold to authorize a walkout from a simple majority of voting teachers to more than 75 percent of all members.

CTU's Sharkey said the legislation was designed to give CPS the upper hand in contract talks.

"The reason the legislation backfired is because it produced for the district the false sense that they could dictate the terms of school next year," Sharkey said.

Labor experts say third-party mediation is often successful in settling disputes, assuming both sides respect the process and consider the fact-finder neutral and trustworthy.

But during these negotiations, both sides have faced political pressure to stand their ground. In cases where two feuding parties have a lot on the line, mediation may only add to the acrimony, said Zev Eigen, an assistant professor of law at Northwestern University who specializes in labor issues.

"Oftentimes in fact-finding, there is still a lot open to interpretation," Eigen said. "That can be perilous in cases like this one where there is a lot at stake."

CPS' former interim schools chief, Terry Mazany, said even if the parties reject the fact-finder's report, it can still bring both sides closer to an agreement.

"It's my belief that both parties are very interested in arriving at a resolution so the school year can begin as planned," said Mazany, who heads the Chicago Community Trust. "Both parties understand there's no winner in a strike."

25 comments:

  1. Anonymous7/16/2012

    Maybe I do not understand something, but I nearly spit out my coffee when I read this post. I really think the city workers have completely lost their minds!! Who the hell do you know who is getting a raise, any raise right now ?? The answer is almost NOONE ! I literally am growing to despise the non stop city worker whiners ! Try working in the private sector! It is called WORK and you show up and better produce buddy or you can collect your belongings in a box and hit the road. The bubble world you have lived in has burst - what part of "there is no MORE money" don't you understand ? Xanadu does not exist. Welcome to reality.

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  2. Anonymous7/16/2012

    Teachers union has walked right into the trap that was set by RAHM. Now he can dispatch them. Guess what????? Its too late. Cant backtrack.

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  3. Anonymous7/16/2012

    the teachers are doomed. they catch all the shit thrown at them and for what? to be blamed for everything. no more learning just teching for tests. dont want to raise your kid ,send em to school. dont want to disipline the child,send them to school. dont want to help your kid with his homework just send him to school.dont want to feed your kid,send him to school.a challenge should be put out for any or all who think they can teach.....pick a school any school,any class and do the job for a week...... if your gunna blame em for everything your going to have to pay.....can you sasy white flight. i wouldnt send my kid there with the crap they have to put up with

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    1. Anonymous7/16/2012

      Nobody is "blaming them for everything".....but noone is making them work there...they work there because it is EASIER than working in the private sector...you can blame the parents but the fact is that the CPS is almost COMPLETELY a minority public school system...whites make up about 33% of the city but white students make up barely 10% of the public school population....Now teachers are being offered 14% MORE !! If they dont take it I hope they do go on strike, and they will lose ALL.....some people are complaining with two loaves of bread under their arms....Sorry but they are OFF work for about 25% of the school year...i had a teacher tell me recently that they deserved "holiday pay"....in essence the city workers are asking people who average 40k to pony up MORE money to those who make 60K or more.... ridiculous !

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  4. To anonymous cheap shot: 1) Easier than working in the private sector? Talk to my wife. Go teach for awhile. The attorneys at the firm I work for, the Partners, come in in the morning and golf in the afternoon. That is also the private sector that you somehow canonize. As for getting paid in the summer: do you have any idea of the real hours teachers work? Not what's on paper. I can do the math for you if you like. You know why the teachers have made these demands? Because they know they're on their own; they're fed up with cheap shots from you, Rahm, etc. Most teachers know they're not getting huge raises -- it's a shot across the bow, a middle finger to people like you.

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  5. Anonymous7/17/2012

    I worked for one of the largest corporations in the world, for a small local firm, and in the non-profit sector. Now I teach for CPS, so I have experienced various work environments. Teaching is the hardest job I've ever done. Office life was a breeze, and I never saw so much goofing around. THOSE jobs were easy. Teaching, especially in CPS in NOT easier than working in the private sector. I earn my money. You don't know the ins and outs of this job, so don't speak with authority on this topic.

    By the way, if we go on strike, I can assure you, I will still have a job. No one can replace me and the thousands of others.

    Have a nice summer. I sure am. ;)

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    1. Anonymous7/17/2012

      Of course you will still have your jobs...you live in the bubble world where you CAN'T get fired....the rest of us live in the real world....also if it was so breezy in the private sector Why did you leave it ?? NOt believable to me...oh and about being replaced....my old boss who was a true entrepreneur - who worked more in one week than your wife works in a month once told me...."the graveyards are filled with indispensable people"....and glad your having a nice summer ...NOT WORKING.... excuse us as the rest of us have to work all year to pay your inflated salaries. The gravy train is over in part because your have a buffoon representing you. Whiny teachers REALLY do not know how much your bit***ng grates on the rest of us....noone feels sorry for you anymore..

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    2. Anonymous7/17/2012

      Would not send my kids to a CPS school - i would home school them first. Most teachers I have met are not impressive to me. In fact it the CPS is a harborage for under performing mostly minorities to be paid far more than they are worth. The CPS is now just a warehouse for inner city children whose parents do not care about them...Many of these kids are fed breakfast, lunch and now dinner? by Chicago taxpayers - that is pathetic as I am sick of my money paying for people who will not take responsibility for their kids.

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    3. Anonymous7/18/2012

      why do some parents that teach at the cps send their own kids to private schools in the city?

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    4. Anonymous7/18/2012

      Private schools or parochial schools? There's a difference.

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  6. Anonymous7/17/2012

    The CPS has one of the shortest work schedules of any public school system and also one of the worst performance results - period ! It is a failed system. Those that can - DO....those that cant.... well you know the rest ! I may not have talked with your wife, but have heard from and seen more than enough of their constant complaining.....I believe that is the M.O. of the strident teacher's union....ie "NEVER" admit you LIKE the work....ALWAYS complain...(that way when it is time to agitate for more and more of the taxpayers $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.....maybe they will feel sorry for you)....sorry but I see you all on your SUMMER LONG vacation (or as I like to call it being OFF for 25% of the work year.....yeah sounds SO HARD.....I know you are all taking extra classes, planning for next year....blah blah blah.....while you are at the beach, at the lake, We can SEE you and what you do....maybe some people in high positions come late and leave early but the true "Working" family makes FAR less than you.....so stop shoving it in our faces !!!

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    1. Answer me something: what's the average time a teacher spends daily working or doing work-related things (grading, extra classes)? Daily, mind, including weekends? Do you even know? No. By definition, teachers are lazy, goofoffs, [insert insult here]

      I can't believe anyone in the 19th Ward would complain about public schools: we have some of the best schools in the state. Hey! Here's a thought. Why not duplicate the successful schools? See, you're not interested. You're interested in loading up and taking target practice. You and tiny dancer.

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    2. Anonymous7/19/2012

      The 19th Ward does have some of the best schools in the state. They're Marist, Bro Rice, and McCauley!

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  7. Anonymous7/18/2012

    Go ahead and talk about teachers. Cops and firemen are next. Then it will be a different story, right.

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    1. Anonymous7/18/2012

      Cops and firemen ARE different (they actually put their lives on the line potentially at any moment in time). But they are no different with respect to their union jobs and there is no difference in the situation for them either. When will teachers recognize the TRUTH - There is NO MONEY available to pay MORE during the worst economic recession/depression since WWII. But they do GET this fact - the problem is they don't CARE. They just want MORE ! Taxpayers who on average make much less than they do are the people they are asking to pay them more. Sort of an upside down system with the lower classes paying the higher class ! Alot of nerve on their part during these awful times. Think about it you have Rahm Emmanuel, a big time liberal Democrat and he is not kissing the a**es of the unions ! Teachers do some critical thinking here and ask - why? It is because there is NO MONEY to pay you more !

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    2. That's exactly right. We talk about mostly women teachers differently than we talk about mostly male cops and firemen. Without a thought, most people would type cops and firemen as true working men.

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  8. Anonymous7/18/2012

    Nope, not planning a thing for next year. Just enjoying. And I can't get fired for striking either. I've got it made. Now, back to my summer.

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    1. Anonymous7/18/2012

      You are making the point perfectly for the other side...so enjoy things NOW but the current set up simply cannot continue...you can behave like children and throw a temper tantrum strike...but in the end, there is just no more money to pay you.

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    2. Yeah. No more money. Let's just close the damn schools, start paying cops and firemen minimum wage, that after we close a few stations and firehouses. Let's all just give up. We still have the national guard, after all.

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    3. Anonymous7/21/2012

      rahm just might call your bluff and restructure the whole system!

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    4. Anonymous7/21/2012

      Sounds like a typical "handout hack" I ran into in Mt. Greenwood in 2010 on election day....vote for Quinn for a tax raise...."because you want firemen to show up...and police to show up...blah blah blah...we are not idiots and that will not happen....but come to think of it when we call the cops NOW in the 19th Ward they don't show up anyway. 20-30- 40 minutes later- I have witnessed with my own eyes when I called for threatening behavior - thefts taking place in the moment i called them....20 minutes later they show up. And I could care less if they closed the CPS....my kids dont go there ...i just tuition...for the minority kids....thanks liberal Democrats! keep

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  9. Anonymous7/19/2012

    i wonder if any of the citizens of chicago actually knows what goes on in a school? did you think for a minute kids are learning? it has become a baby sitting service. the local schools are all changing too. clissold is a zoo and the nut at sutherland is transforming that place into an inner city wasteland. asd for the teachers, your old schoolers are leaving in droves. this will get progressively worse. just drive past a school when the kids are let out,jullian,corliss and morgan park. heliucopterrs overhead. over 70 million dollars spent on security and they arte not finished. you wont send your kids to a cps school because of the crap thats there not because of the teachers. i bet if anyu of you stood in front of a classroom for a week you would go running back to your job.you havr no idea what goes on in these schools.oh yea rahms got your back.......

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  10. Anonymous7/20/2012

    Just pack your bags and sneak off to Indy, you coward. When the going got tough, the twirps left town. We all knew you were just a little man with a big mouth.

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  11. Anonymous7/20/2012

    Close the CPS, fire the teachers, give me my taxes back. Let everybody pay for their own kids education, just like I have. I'm not whining about paying to educate my kids, but I'm tired of paying for yours in a system that pretty obviously doesn't work. I know there are a lot of good teachers trying their best in the CPS, and and you will find a position in a free market based school system, with a better learning environment, and probably at a fair wage. But it won't happen until we stop kidding ourselves that the current CPS works or that the political system can fix it. The first words out of every politicians mouth when he steps behind a podium is, "I'm going to fix education, for the kids". BULLSHIT!
    So let's shut it down, and allow private, free market, unsubsidized schools fill the void.
    Bring back high schools that teach the trades. This country has an over abundance of Art History majors, and not enough skilled workers. Not everybody needs to go to college, but we all need jobs. You want to stop shipping jobs overseas? Its starts with a skilled work force. Not a broken down school system, subsidized by a government that uses it as a political hiring tool.
    That goes for the Post Office and Amtrack, too.

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  12. Anonymous7/20/2012

    Most white residents of Chicago do not send their kids to public schools, except in a few isolated cases. The CPS is vastly a minority school system. Whites represent about 11% of the population of the schools. The revenue generated by the city - hundreds of millions of Chicago taxpayers' hard earned money is confiscated to pay bloated salaries, shiny new schools, breakfast for the inner city kids, lunch - and in some cases dinner served - out of our pockets. It is a failed system. Rahm has no choice. Believe me if he could figure a way to loot more of the taxpayers money to give to these ingrates he would. It is time to wake up and realize that the diversity movement has failed miserably. When I was a kid in Beverly, black kids got beat up (wrong !). But now the white kids get beat up in Beverly (also wrong). But our alderman, State Reps all Democrats, say and do nothing to defend us. The cops are far too often no shows or too late to do anything shows. There has been a huge spike in black on white crime and it is not even reported. My advice: when you see Patrick Elwood, or Mike Flannery etc...in our neighborhoods have the guts to go up to them and tell them that you are sick of this double standard. This double standard threatens to wreck our neighborhood.

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