Tulsa school employees take bags of pennies to board members' homes

[proud2BlibKansan]

TULSA, OK -- Support Workers for Tulsa Public Schools are hoping 2010 will mean 28 cents more per hour.

Employees used pennies to make their plea taking them directly to the front doors of school board members' homes.

The American Federation of Teachers union represents 3,000 support employees. Those are the school custodians, bus drivers, and mechanics.

The union says the average support employee makes less than $18,000 a year. It says 28 cents may be pocket change to some but the raise would make a difference to them.

<skip>

To make a point, the workers left a bag of 28 pennies with each school board member.

more . . . http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=11754935

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. Anybody remember the show "Pajama Game"

7 and 1/2 cents doesn't sound like a....

[femmocrat]

2. It's criminal how little support personnel are paid.

Districts could not operate without them. Our classroom aides are required to have various certifications and attend continuing ed. to keep their jobs. I remember hearing that they would be required to have at least an associate's degree, but don't know if that has taken effect yet.

Bus drivers have the toughest job (and greatest responsibilities) in the district and are paid about $13 an hour. I don't think they are unionized because the district fired all the union bus drivers about 10 years ago when they sub-contracted bus services.

Our district recently "forced out" our elementary librarians (made life so miserable that they quit) and replaced them with $10/hr. library aides. They did the same thing with nurses a few years ago. These women have no union representation or benefits. Terrible.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Our paras have to have a background check every year

And they have to pay for it themselves.

[femmocrat]

4. Oh, I forgot to add--- that the support personnel pay the same for their health insurance

as the teachers do. Their rates are based on the teachers' contract. So they are paying a much larger percentage of their already inadequate income. And they are assigned "duties" (bus, cafeteria, playground) the same as teachers are. They have no "plan" time, so they grab a break or lunch whenever they can fit it in.

These para-professionals are the true unsung heroes of the public school system!

[kelly1mm]

5. In my family my wife is a teacher, SIL is a school secretary, BIL is

the bug man" and grounds super (think athletic fields) for our county wide school system. Yes, the teachers have the union support AND the parents support so my wife gets her raises and great benefits (which I am great full for). The support staff gets shit on constantly as nobody supports them. Even the two unions fight it out. Sad really.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Our union represents teachers and support staff

But the maintenance guys are in a different union.