CAHOKIA INTENT TO STRIKE

[ramblinman reborn]

1. Yes
2. As I understand it, if you are not part of the union you still have the same protections and benefits but cannot vote in union decisions or run for office within the union. Socially, you may be a bit ostracized (what I noticed in one district but not sure of others).
3. Unsure
4. This is one of my biggest beefs. I have seen bad teachers be protected or some allowed to resign when they should have been fired. I blame fear of litigation for this as well.
5. I am not sure if you could say that school board's and superintendents act as a possible control.
6. As mentioned in #4, I hate that bad teachers are protected. I don't know if being able to more easily fire bad teachers and protect good teachers is like having your cake and eating it too?

Thanks for your responses.

 

[cornerrat#1]

1. Yes
2. As I understand it, if you are not part of the union you still have the same protections and benefits but cannot vote in union decisions or run for office within the union. Socially, you may be a bit ostracized (what I noticed in one district but not sure of others).
3. Unsure
4. This is one of my biggest beefs. I have seen bad teachers be protected or some allowed to resign when they should have been fired. I blame fear of litigation for this as well.
5. I am not sure if you could say that school board's and superintendents act as a possible control.
6. As mentioned in #4, I hate that bad teachers are protected. I don't know if being able to more easily fire bad teachers and protect good teachers is like having your cake and eating it too?

All.... Can't speak to the teachers union per say but was a union steward for AFSCME. Two decades of at times putting middle management and some up in the ivory tower in their place.

There can be bad actors on both sides. I could talk about the above points in detail for days but haven't the time or really the inclination. For me #4 on occasion was difficult. Representing an individual that wasn't by contract doing the position description pd requirement. And it's all about the contract.

Many people forget every three to four years managment and the union sit down and attempt to hammer out a new contract for the specified time period. They can go on for weeks. Having been on one the negotiating teams for my particular local it can get ugly.

Forgive me for losing track. Back to #4. Is it hard to represent a bum employee yep.... But the contract has the final say if it meets the criteria of discipline including suspension or even termination. Most important the contract is agreed upon by both parties and have to follow those specific guidlines like it or not. Ratsy

 

[SiuCubFan8]

I appreciate your answers. Thanks.

Regarding your answer to my 5th question, I suppose you are right, but negotiations under the threat of strike, or during one, necessarily means that the kids are reduced to being bargaining chips at best and pawns at worst.

True but every situation is different. You have a union working under a no contract for a year, clearly negotiating was not going well. Deadlines make things happen.

 

[SiuCubFan8]

Teachers should just take whatever salary is offered and be happy with it. They are lucky to have jobs. Something something indoctrination.

But seriously, every contract negotiation is different, every strike is different and potential strike is different. There are some strikes where you could most likely say the union was being unreasonable, and there are plenty that the district was being unreasonable and there are some where both are at fault. Painting the teachers as the bad guys is without having in depth knowledge of the situation is dumb and lazy. If you think differently I would question your intelligence or you are just out with an agenda. I said my peace.

 

[ramblinman reborn]

I think you should take these questions to your next school board meeting. Seriously, they'd probably love to discuss this with you... they should WANT to discuss this with you. If not, well then find some new school board members with your next vote.

Good idea.

What is the average salary for a teacher in the state of Illinois?

Public or private?

Do you find this to be fair compensation?

Public or private? Sorry, couldn't resist that one.

I feel that, by and large, both private AND public teachers are not compensated enough for the amount of work they do, and for the importance of that work.

To me, the issue here isn't if public school teachers make too much. Rather, it's more along the lines of how they are funded and how professional educators have seen the need to organize themselves to fight for reasonable wages, career protection, and for other workplace issues. More often than not, socio-economic inequities in public school funding result in the rich getting richer and the poor staying poor.

Do you believe compensation directly affects an employees outcomes? i.e. low pay equals low output, higher pay equals more productivity

Not necessarily, but I do think it is human nature for people who feel they are not paid enough to not bust their asses.

Do you agree that educating children should be the burden of the state/federal government?

From a funding perspective, yes. That would help eliminate some of the socio-economic inequities I mentioned earlier. I also think that private school parents, who help hold down costs by keeping their kids out of public schools while paying taxes for them, should receive some sort of compensation for doing so.

Does the state of Illinois currently have too many public districts, most especially in the rural/non-urban counties?

I don't know about too many districts. I will definitively state that the city of Chicago has too many public schools because the contract the district has with the union requires the district to keep open MANY schools despite them being seriously under capacity.

Just trying to discuss, I'm not criticizing you and hope you can understand and see that. I find your questions genuinely good, and wish more folks would ask them to their school boards often...

Thanks. I appreciate the civility in this discussion.

 

[ramblinman reborn]

True but every situation is different. You have a union working under a no contract for a year, clearly negotiating was not going well. Deadlines make things happen.

Is a deadline the same as a teacher strike?

If I have a problem negotiating with my employer, my only deadline is to say that "by X date, if we cannot negotiate an agreement, I will leave and take my talents elsewhere." I do not have the option to keep my job and simply not work until my employer becomes a more reasonable negotiator.

 

[PowerI66]

Is a deadline the same as a teacher strike?

If I have a problem negotiating with my employer, my only deadline is to say that "by X date, if we cannot negotiate an agreement, I will leave and take my talents elsewhere." I do not have the option to keep my job and simply not work until my employer becomes a more reasonable negotiator.

Yes. An Illinois teacher strike timeline requires a minimum of 39 total days to legally clear all state-mandated cooling-off periods. First, the school district and union must spend at least 15 days in formal mediation before declaring an impasse. Finally, both sides' ultimate offers must be publicly posted for 14 days, followed by a strict 10-day countdown once the union files its official "Intent to Strike" notice.