The best - the only - way of ensuring high, positive impact on kids' education (even their whole lives) is to treat teachers at the level of other professionals that need similar high education and motivation - doctors, engineers etc. Have you stopped to wonder why the guy you examines your teeth for 20 minutes earns many fold the salary of a teacher that molds your child's mind for the entire day, for the whole year? I'd rather suffer a badly treated tooth than submit my children to indifferent teaching.
I'm only amazed that there still are great teachers around despite every thing. They must truly love teaching, and we must be thankful to them for that.
While I absolutely agree that teachers, on the whole, are undermotivated and underpaid, claiming they need similar pay to doctors/dentists is a bit silly. It does not take nearly the same amount of education, not to mention student loan debt, to become a teacher than it does to become a doctor. Should both professions be respected? Absolutely. Should they be compensated the same? I think not.
Okay - I give you that it's silly argument as things stand right now. But that's the direction it should be headed. Education / training for teachers should be more specialized, and compensation should be equally more.
There are 7 million teachers and 4 million healthcare professionals in the US today; so why should one be paid stratospherically while the other get leftovers? Probably because we think teaching is so easy and low-brow that anybody can do it. Guess what - anybody is doing it today! The better talent is going elsewhere, maybe the med school...
(At the same time, I'd also argue that the medical profession is overpaid, simply to compensate for their high cost of education, and that should be addressed separately)
So people should be financially obligated to pay for a service they never requested nor authorized?
Really? I've never lived in a non-RTW state yet my salary has grown 450% in the past 22 years and my benefits have gotten better rather than worse during the same time frame.
At least they arent bussing kids to the protest under the guise of a field trip like the scumbags in MN did a few years ago.
When private companies started dumping their pension plans and constantly reducing benefits and pay for the worker while increasing executive pay, I didn't care since I belong to a public union with my pay and benefits guaranteed by law.
When they passed NAFTA and GATT and good paying jobs started being exported, I didn't care since I belong to a public union with my pay and benefits guaranteed by law.
When companies like Walmart did everything in their power to prevent unions and were successful, I didn't care since I belong to a public union with my pay and benefits guaranteed by law.
When people were losing their jobs and homes because of the recession and I was getting a raise, I didn't care since I belong to a public union with my pay and benefits guaranteed by law.
Now they are coming for my pay, benefits and they want change the laws, there is nobody to care for me.
You sound as delusional at the Wisconsin idiots who were comparing their struggles to keep a 100K benefit packs with Egyptians trying to not live under a dictator. Here is a clue, we dont live in Nazi germany.
Give it 50+ years. History likes to repeat itself, and It is our turn to be the world's #1 enemy.
.... oh wait...
I did read an interesting article about a month ago about how the totalitarian state we knew under the Nazis and Communists may not come back. Instead it will be replaced with fines or jail for smaller offenses, political correctness, and public shaming from the govt to keep the people in line.
Okay - I give you that it's silly argument as things stand right now. But that's the direction it should be headed.
In the absence of external forces messing with the market equilibrium, there is no such thing as over or underpaid. People are paid what they are worth based on supply and demand.(At the same time, I'd also argue that the medical profession is overpaid, simply to compensate for their high cost of education, and that should be addressed separately)
Oh I see, teachers are so important that you can't fathom them going on strike, but when it comes to paying them you think they're worthless. Interesting.
Except it's not "win win". Right to work is a big win for employers and a big loss for employees. Instead of it being some big selfish conspiracy, maybe these teachers are just protesting a law that they think is screwing them over while they do an important job that few of us would want for less than impressive pay.
Okay - I give you that it's silly argument as things stand right now. But that's the direction it should be headed. Education / training for teachers should be more specialized, and compensation should be equally more.
There are 7 million teachers and 4 million healthcare professionals in the US today; so why should one be paid stratospherically while the other get leftovers? Probably because we think teaching is so easy and low-brow that anybody can do it. Guess what - anybody is doing it today! The better talent is going elsewhere, maybe the med school...
(At the same time, I'd also argue that the medical profession is overpaid, simply to compensate for their high cost of education, and that should be addressed separately)
Unions negotiate for wages, benefits and work conditions. Companies generally give the same wages and benefits to people who opt out of the union, or else they would just join the union. So the union provides the service of getting those people the same wage and benefits as union members without them paying dues.
Just because I posted a fact about what services a union provides to members and people who opt-out does not mean I do or do not agree with RTW laws. It is truly sad how many people think that if you post a fact that doesn't agree with them, then you must agree with the other team.
I am a moderate, independent because I don't see the world in black and white and my views on unions are very much in the grey area, between all good and all evil.
Oh I see, teachers are so important that you can't fathom them going on strike, but when it comes to paying them you think they're worthless. Interesting.
Perhaps so.
But I thought people were referring to other benefits from the union, for example defending unions members in disputes with management when fired or skipped over for promotion etc. I see no reason for the union to provide such benefits for employees who opt out.
Fern
Frankly, I think it is just as wrong to force the union to provide those services to employees that opt out as it is to force employees to join the union and pay dues.
All about choice and fairness in my book and this is a pretty cut and dry case.
If you're going to compare current salaries then you've got to compare them in the current context. Of course if things for each professional were completely different then the salaries could be closer. That said, I don't see teachers ever requiring the same amount of education/training as doctors (unless, of course, they want to teach doctors ) so I'm not sure I can ever see the compensation as being equivalent.