Syosset Teachers Union Concessions (New York, Buffalo: mortgage, credit, go bankrupt)

[Goodnight]

The Teachers Union gave up a pay raise for this year of 2.75% but retained the 2% step increases.

Carol Hankin Superintendent "welcomed the agreement" but I didn't see any reciprocation relative to her $485,246 contract not including fringe benefits.

"A regional leader of Long Island's unionized school professionals predicts more locals will agree to salary concessions in the year ahead, just as his own members have given up a 2.75 percent pay raise.
....
...
It's time for statesmanship," said Rozran, a longtime English teacher who also sits on the board of directors of the statewide New York State United Teachers union. The state organization represents 600,000 teachers and other professional school employees; Long Island makes up 61,000 of them. "


Schools union chief predicts more concessions

[tummymumma]

Originally Posted by Goodnight

The Teachers Union gave up a pay raise for this year of 2.75% but retained the 2% step increases.

Carol Hankin Superintendent "welcomed the agreement" but I didn't see any reciprocation relative to her $485,246 contract not including fringe benefits.

"A regional leader of Long Island's unionized school professionals predicts more locals will agree to salary concessions in the year ahead, just as his own members have given up a 2.75 percent pay raise.
....
...
It's time for statesmanship," said Rozran, a longtime English teacher who also sits on the board of directors of the statewide New York State United Teachers union. The state organization represents 600,000 teachers and other professional school employees; Long Island makes up 61,000 of them. "


Schools union chief predicts more concessions

Unfortunately, we need to go negative... 2% is still 2% in the wrong direction...

[llama8]

That is great of these teachers to give up money willingly that they were contractually entitled to. It shows that they want to help their school district and the children that attend it in these tough economic times.

I applaud their initiative!

[mb11111]

Originally Posted by glags11

Who brought the idiot!! Yea, lets make sure teachers make no money so that they cant make a living, cant make mortgage payments, cant feed there children, etc....thats a great idea! People like you need to stop being so jealous and start taking initiative in your own life...then, maybe then will you be content...Although, it seems someone like you will always have something to complain about and be miserable...

I posted the following in another thread, but I think it can also do some good here:

SeeThroughNy.com | Home

If you do a search at the link above for people retiring in NYS with annual pensions above $200,000 you'll understand why the state and Nassau are in such bad shape. Teachers, no matter how good they are, should NOT be able to retire on $200,000+ guaranteed every year for the rest of their life! I pick on the teachers because if you do that search more than 80% of the pensions >$200,000 are from the NYS Teachers.

I grew up on LI, went to public school, worked my tail off to get into a good college, went to graduate school, work long hours at my job (don't get summers off like some professions) and the imbeciles I went to high school that end up working for a union at LIRR or some other local government post because they were literally too stupid to do anything else but government work are probably close to retiring right now with over a six figure salary? I think to myself, who's really the imbecile for working hard when I was younger? I wish my parents told me back then the truth which is that I really didn't need to get into a good college, because I could eventually get a government job and make a ton of money anyway!

Let's admit what everyone already knows: Unions are the problem. The union compensation deals are out of line with the services they provide relative to how hard they work. And how big is the biggest union on LI? 10,000 people? As a % of LI's total population they're tiny so why are we even asking them politely for 'give backs', which were really nothing more than a few bucks that they get right back in 6 yrs! Unlike a state, counties and municipalities can go bankrupt. Mangano needs to grow a set, and if he was a real republican he'd play hardball like Chris Christie in NJ and tell the unions that they have one shot at negotiating, and if you don't take less and change your comp system up and down, I'll change it for you.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by mb11111

I posted the following in another thread, but I think it can also do some good here:

SeeThroughNy.com | Home

If you do a search at the link above for people retiring in NYS with annual pensions above $200,000 you'll understand why the state and Nassau are in such bad shape. Teachers, no matter how good they are, should NOT be able to retire on $200,000+ guaranteed every year for the rest of their life! I pick on the teachers because if you do that search more than 80% of the pensions >$200,000 are from the NYS Teachers.

I grew up on LI, went to public school, worked my tail off to get into a good college, went to graduate school, work long hours at my job (don't get summers off like some professions) and the imbeciles I went to high school that end up working for a union at LIRR or some other local government post because they were literally too stupid to do anything else but government work are probably close to retiring right now with over a six figure salary? I think to myself, who's really the imbecile for working hard when I was younger? I wish my parents told me back then the truth which is that I really didn't need to get into a good college, because I could eventually get a government job and make a ton of money anyway!

Let's admit what everyone already knows: Unions are the problem. The union compensation deals are out of line with the services they provide relative to how hard they work. And how big is the biggest union on LI? 10,000 people? As a % of LI's total population they're tiny so why are we even asking them politely for 'give backs', which were really nothing more than a few bucks that they get right back in 6 yrs! Unlike a state, counties and municipalities can go bankrupt. Mangano needs to grow a set, and if he was a real republican he'd play hardball like Chris Christie in NJ and tell the unions that they have one shot at negotiating, and if you don't take less and change your comp system up and down, I'll change it for you.

Just a few things:

School districts cannot go bankrupt.

There is NOTHING Mangano (or any County Executive) and NIFA can do about the teachers' unions because they are under individual school districts.

In this case, the ones that need to grow balls (or, rather, actually consider the needs of the taxpayers vs. union members and administrators) would be the individual School Board members. Plus the School Superintendants, but it would conflict with their need to be paid more than the POTUS for running each of their tiny fiefdoms.

[NYEconomist]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

Just a few things:

School districts cannot go bankrupt.

There is NOTHING Mangano (or any County Executive) and NIFA can do about the teachers' unions because they are under individual school districts.

In this case, the ones that need to grow balls (or, rather, actually consider the needs of the taxpayers vs. union members and administrators) would be the individual School Board members. Plus the School Superintendants, but it would conflict with their need to be paid more than the POTUS for running each of their tiny fiefdoms.

I wondered about that myself. Can NIFA freeze union wages on schools. I wonder what their authority encompasses? Can you provide a link to you statement. It's not that I don't believe you, I just don't believe anyone.

I know that they froze union salaries in Buffalo and were able to turn down expenditures and projects, but I wonder if that extends to school districts.

I hear the unions are starting to circulate the rumor that most past property tax increases fall into the 2% zone to begin with, after accounting for state and federal aid. I heard this nice little rumor from a teacher, so we'll see if that becomes a talking point soon enough.

[Goodnight]

Originally Posted by tomonlineli

I wondered about that myself. Can NIFA freeze union wages on schools. I wonder what their authority encompasses? Can you provide a link to you statement. It's not that I don't believe you, I just don't believe anyone.

I know that they froze union salaries in Buffalo and were able to turn down expenditures and projects, but I wonder if that extends to school districts.

I hear the unions are starting to circulate the rumor that most past property tax increases fall into the 2% zone to begin with, after accounting for state and federal aid. I heard this nice little rumor from a teacher, so we'll see if that becomes a talking point soon enough.

NIFA only controls the county, the school districts, towns and villages are separate. Cities in NY State are set up differently than other jurisdictions. NIFA was put in place specifically for Nassau County to do what our elected officials refused to do, balance a budget.

The UFTA's public relations effort is in full swing to combat Cuomo's proposals such as the 2% property tax cap that just passed the senate. I give the teachers union credit but I have to wonder about the timing and motives, where were they last year and the year before? Realistically I don't really see a district with a median household income of $90K that has a superintendent mking $458K, teachers making up to $130K in imminent danger of increasing class sizes and laying off teachers.
This is not Roosevelt.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by tomonlineli

I wondered about that myself. Can NIFA freeze union wages on schools. I wonder what their authority encompasses? Can you provide a link to you statement. It's not that I don't believe you, I just don't believe anyone.

I know that they froze union salaries in Buffalo and were able to turn down expenditures and projects, but I wonder if that extends to school districts.

I hear the unions are starting to circulate the rumor that most past property tax increases fall into the 2% zone to begin with, after accounting for state and federal aid. I heard this nice little rumor from a teacher, so we'll see if that becomes a talking point soon enough.

Link for "school districts cannot go bankrupt":

EDITORIAL: State agency should help Wyandanch schools

Both Roosevelt and Wyandanch failed to take seriously Gov. David A. Paterson's austere budget. Now, both are threatening bankruptcy - an empty threat they can't carry out legally.

As for NIFA's powers:

NIFA is focused on one thing -- making sure Nassau County's budget is balanced. That is its main job: Nassau's budget. All the school districts in Nassau are independent of Nassau County and operate separately. NIFA has no control over them and probably doesn't want control over them anyway because NIFA has enough to do without adding over 50 separate entities to oversee.

As for Buffalo, I believe, like NYC, there is only one school district and it does not operate separately of its municipality, so it was under the control board.

As for your last paragraph, ask the person who told you, if its not some sort of smoke and mirrors, and we are “only” having increases on average of 2% anyway, then what are they so worried about a cap for? Why are the teachers' unions filling their warchest with $$$ in order to gain influence over our NYS legislators if it's not a problem?

[Fastrudy]

I pick on the teachers because if you do that search more than 80% of the pensions >$200,000 are from the NYS Teachers.

I doubt that. the max reirement pension for teachers is 75% of their final average salary (thats only with 37.5 years of service). I think those over $200,000 would be administrators. You are hating the wrong group.

[NYEconomist]

Originally Posted by Fastrudy

I pick on the teachers because if you do that search more than 80% of the pensions >$200,000 are from the NYS Teachers.

I doubt that. the max reirement pension for teachers is 75% of their final average salary (thats only with 37.5 years of service). I think those over $200,000 would be administrators. You are hating the wrong group.

No he's not, he just has to add names to his list.