Applause for teachers for standing up and smacking the state right on the nose.
…teachers will get a 20 percent overall increase over four years.
Chances the teachers would have won these raises without going on strike? Pretty much zero.
The lesson – stand up and fight, and you have a chance of winning. Not a guarantee of winning, but at least a “fighting chance.” Action does not ensure success, but inaction virtually ensures failure.
This is a lesson that needs to be applied in every county in the nation – in politics, in workplace organizing, in every aspect of our society that requires change.
“There are hundreds of families contacting me that are harmed financially, occupationally. You should not be able to do that to the people of this state because you want funding.”
I appreciate the problem caused by public employee strikes that affect a broad segment of the populace. However, when the State government causes harm to hundreds of families, financially and occupationally, by intentionally underfunding public education what does Rep. Kelly Townsend propose as a viable alternative?
I would be happier if the pay raise ratio and benefits package for state legislators was kept at or below the raise ration/benefits of the rest of the public sector in that state.
Once the teachers, firefighters, dog-catchers, etc catch up, that should be written into state law and this would never happen again.