Chicago Teachers Hit The Streets

[Boomhauer]

They need to send the Chicago cops out to do what they do best...beat the *expletive deleted* out of people. I want to watch that in big screen HD live.

[longeyes]

This explains a lot. This is the head of their teachers union. Note this is edited. The full talk is at Michelle Malkin's site. I'm not sure the edited version is all that unfair to her, given what's in it. For a teacher, she takes education rather lightly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=A1YXOSaMZzs

Just watched this.  Two Nations never to fuse.  Only a matter of time before it's too obvious to ignore.

[Scout26]

Karen Lewis is a union thug, pure and simple.

[Jamie B]

Yea, I saw the video that Ben posted last year.

She is truly a witch of the first degree.

[brimic]

That has got to be Gwen Moore's identical twin.

[Scout26]

#1 comment on that Youtube video.

I didn't know Jabba could walk!

[longeyes]

Enter the educational abyss:

"Al Sharpton: Tell us why the Chicago Teachers Union has called a strike? The first time in 25 years.

CTU official: It’s about … justice. We are in a time nationally where our students, black and brown students, let’s be very clear, are under the pressure of privatizers who want to collect off the pathology that plagues our communities. That’s what’s going on here in Chicago.

Al Sharpton: Stacy, let me ask you, what does the city need to do to bring this strike to an end the situation that would be acceptable to the teachers? I understand the historical and institutional problems and agree with it. What would resolve this matter right now?

CTU official: Well you know what’s interesting Rev. Al, is that this is sort of like an Arab Spring right here in Chicago right now. Currently there are five locals, AFT(?) locals, who are experiencing similar issues here. 11 NEA locals have filed intent to strike within the last year. So this is not just confined to Chicago."

(from Gateway Pundit)

***

Translation: It's our mess, and some of us make out very well keeping it a mess, so back the f off.

[MillCreek]

#1 comment on that Youtube video.

And another one:

Bring me Solo and the Wookiee. They will all suffer for this outrage!

[Scout26]

Today on the radio, there was an ad from the CTU saying "It's not about the money, it's about music and art for our kids."   I almost ran off the road.

I'm sending the CTU an e-mail asking if they are willing to take a pay cut to buy instruments, pottery kilns and easels for the the kids.


Ooooops, not only about the money, it's about the evaluations....  $Diety forbid that CPS/School Board have the power to fire crappy teachers and hire new ones.

[Tallpine]

the pressure of privatizers who want to collect off the pathology that plagues our communities

Like doing a better job for less money ?   

[longeyes]

I'd like to hear more details about the "pathology."  Might be illuminating--if honest.

[Scout26]

I'd like to hear more details about the "pathology."  Might be illuminating--if honest.

White folks not giving us our fair share and shipping guns into the 'hood.

[Tallpine]

White folks not giving us our fair share and shipping guns into the 'hood.

They want their fair share of guns so they can kill each other off ?   

[longeyes]

When they say "it's not about the money," it's always about the money.

Education has become workfare.  It is without doubt the main bulwark of minorities in the middle class in America, which is why it has become untouchable.

Educators are the new elite and the new "one per cent."  How many teachers and administrators with de facto six-figure payouts are married to each other and enjoying a lifestyle unimaginable to the foolish masses (i.e., ordinary taxpayers)?

[lee n. field]

White folks not giving us our fair share and shipping guns into the 'hood.

I can mentally parse that two completely different ways.

[MillCreek]

How many teachers and administrators with de facto six-figure payouts are married to each other and enjoying a lifestyle unimaginable to the foolish masses (i.e., ordinary taxpayers)?

In my experience, it is not unusual for married couples to be of similar socio-economic status.  In my area, I know of lots of physicians who are married to other physicians, attorneys married to other attorneys, IT people to other IT people. 

[longeyes]

True enough, but if we are talking--I mean they--about "fairness," what is fair about one household grabbing so many taxpayer dollars?

Frankly, I think it's time to level special surtaxes on public employees.  That, to me, would represent fairness given that they do not have to deal with risk, markets, economic vicissitudes, et al.  Let teachers go out and try to dig up customers and see how they fare.

[Jamisjockey]

True enough, but if we are talking--I mean they--about "fairness," what is fair about one household grabbing so many taxpayer dollars?

Frankly, I think it's time to level special surtaxes on public employees.  That, to me, would represent fairness given that they do not have to deal with risk, markets, economic vicissitudes, et al.  Let teachers go out and try to dig up customers and see how they fare.

The true and proper thing would be disbanding all public employee unions.

[dogmush]

The true and proper thing would be disbanding all public employee unions.

As a fed.gov I'm on board with this.

But just to play devil's advocate for a sec.

An employee of a private sector buisness that feels they are doing awesome work and deserve a raise often can go to their manager, or one manager farther up the chain.  My wife's manager at the hospital has the athority to decide her peoples raises with a cap given as max amount for the best person.  A good friend is a project lead at Jabil Circut and tells me that he has athority over his peoples pay within his project's budget.

If a .gov employee wants a raise*, they need to go to congress.  that's much harder to do as an individual.

*DOD actually has a cash bonus for awesome work program, but even it takes a two-star signature.  Not very approachable.

[bscl]

A few years into my career I realized what public employee unions are for - to be a protective barrier against... other public employees.  It's a self-licking ice cream cone, an example of perpetual motion incompetence, and yet another argument in favor of smaller government.

[longeyes]

As a fed.gov I'm on board with this.

But just to play devil's advocate for a sec.

An employee of a private sector buisness that feels they are doing awesome work and deserve a raise often can go to their manager, or one manager farther up the chain.  My wife's manager at the hospital has the athority to decide her peoples raises with a cap given as max amount for the best person.  A good friend is a project lead at Jabil Circut and tells me that he has athority over his peoples pay within his project's budget.

If a .gov employee wants a raise*, they need to go to congress.  that's much harder to do as an individual.

*DOD actually has a cash bonus for awesome work program, but even it takes a two-star signature.  Not very approachable.

So in the public sector how do you quantify much less justify a "raise?"

[lee n. field]

Illinois teachers' salary database.

[dogmush]

So in the public sector how do you quantify much less justify a "raise?"

Well the same way you do in the private sector. Some form of "I did A,B and C last year and that saved us $X. Or I came up with process or widget D that makes our job more effecient. Since it was implemented across the command we've saved Z man hours."

You do your job better then the next guy.


ETA Recall also the first sentance of my last post. I know for a fact that at least my public employee union does more harm than good, both to the public and to it's members.

[MechAg94]

So in the public sector how do you quantify much less justify a "raise?"

You also have to be careful how you ask that.  What is a raise?  Are cost of living adjustments a raise?  They are in my job.  Also, I think it depends on what level of Govt you work for and how big/rich that govt sector is. 

I think part of the issue is too much Federal and State regulation that encourages/requires more administration and less teaching.  In a similar way, too many big cities have these supersized school districts which always seem to require supersized administrative staffs.  Break up those districts to maximum number of kids.  Then you don't need so many CEO level school superintendents. 

[Scout26]

I think part of the issue is too much Federal and State regulation that encourages/requires more administration and less teaching.  In a similar way, too many big cities have these supersized school districts which always seem to require supersized administrative staffs.  Break up those districts to maximum number of kids.  Then you don't need so many CEO level school superintendents.  

Actually, we have that Illinois.  In fact we have more units of .gov then any other state.  And many of those are school districts  (For example, the neighboring town has a school district (with supersized support staff) for the elementary and middle schools.  They also have a separate school district (with supersized support staff) for the high schools.    

A big part of the Supersized Staff problem is the mandates required by the Fed.gov's and State.gov's and requirements for this, that, and the other thing that have absolutely ZERO to do with education.   Like "Self-esteem" and "Anti-bullying"