|
My wife and I have taught in private and public schools and colleges in three states. We are both are members of unions in Florida. Today, my union votes for a negotiated agreement:
"The ratification election for the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Domestic Partner Benefits and Early Retirement Incentive is being held Sunday through Wednesday."
Unlike other state universities, my collective bargaining agreement is strong and we have seen no layoffs or attempts to fire faculty and staff. We won a grievance last year against forced furloughs. Guess what? Somehow the money appeared! Some universities in Florida have fired faculty, including tenured faculty - but they are mostly schools where there is not a good CBA. Our union brought in a audit expert who analyzed the budget and we had a public forum with students and the press reporting the extra cash reserves that the university had stashed away. A year later, they conceded to a contract and lost the battle in the newspapers.
In Florida, my wife's school district lost a lawsuit to pay fairly for experience and end discrimination against older teachers. Her district has 100% paid medical care that would be a "Cadillac plan" I suppose. She is in her 33rd year of teaching, and is very effective in a "A" school (low SES), but the district actively tried to get rid of older teachers so that they could avoid the health costs and salaries of teachers in their 50's. The school district here has benefitted from two consecutive tax referendums passed by a mostly conservative county! That is due to publicity provided by the union and get-out-the-vote campaigns sponsored by the union. We recently elected the first Democratic state representative in years from this part of Florida. Again, the organized union did a lot of the work.
Many years ago, we worked in non-union jobs. We learned early as teenagers working in textile mills the value of collective bargaining. We also learned about fair pay and intellectual property when working through school as members of the musicians unions. We both taught in public and private schools without collective bargaining - and both saw and felt abuse.
Now, 40 years later and facing retirement with the boomers, we will not work in a non-union job again! There will never be a day without a battle, but it is almost impossible to fight without organization. Because we are active, we are both sure that our local unions are not corrupt or wasteful. All the complaints are more propaganda than reality - but YOU have to be involved in any organization if you want integrity.
Today's economic times have proven to us - support your union.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
