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As for those that worry about job protection for life for ineffective teachers...well those people should be complaining about administrators who don't do their job. You can get rid of union teachers who deserve it.
In many cases, this simply isn't true. Books and documentaries have been made about it--by liberal pro-union type people.
I have taught in a unionized district and a non-unionized district.
The differences are shocking.
Union
Salary step increases, every year ($2,000 a year).
Great benefits
Respect for our time
Pay for time worked over contract time. (Emergency meeting at 3:30? We are paid)
Tuition reimbursement
Protected lunch
Principal must sub when they can't get a sub.
Union rep can sit in on contentious meetings
Observations/evaluations are done professionally, fairly.
I feel protected. I feel respected. I feel valued. My voice matters in the school climate.
Non-Union
No pay/step increases. (One teacher who taught for 13 years in the district and had not hit $40,000).
I repeat. No salary increases. Ever. No salary increases.
Paid for own personal days.
Teachers covered other classes if there wasn't a sub available. We were not paid for this.
Evaluations/observations that verged on bullying and intimidation.
No protected lunch.
If I teach for 20 years in my current unionized district, I will earn $78,000 in my final year. I started at $44,000 a year.
If I taught for 20 years at my non-unionized district, I would earn $34,000 in my final year. I started at $34,000 a year.
I would not teach in a non-unionized district. I have too much respect for myself.
Last edited by eric351982; 05-08-2016 at 12:06 AM..
I have taught in a unionized district and a non-unionized district.
The differences are shocking.
Union
Salary step increases, every year ($2,000 a year).
Great benefits
Respect for our time
Pay for time worked over contract time. (Emergency meeting at 3:30? We are paid)
Tuition reimbursement
Protected lunch
Principal must sub when they can't get a sub.
Union rep can sit in on contentious meetings
Observations/evaluations are done professionally, fairly.
I feel protected. I feel respected. I feel valued. My voice matters in the school climate.
Non-Union
No pay/step increases. (One teacher who taught for 13 years in the district and had not hit $40,000).
I repeat. No salary increases. Ever. No salary increases.
Paid for own personal days.
Teachers covered other classes if there wasn't a sub available. We were not paid for this.
Evaluations/observations that verged on bullying and intimidation.
No protected lunch.
If I teach for 20 years in my current unionized district, I will earn $78,000 in my final year. I started at $44,000 a year.
If I taught for 20 years at my non-unionized district, I would earn $34,000 in my final year. I started at $34,000 a year.
I would not teach in a non-unionized district. I have too much respect for myself.
This really can't be made as a blanket statement for all union/non-union districts. I really think it varies. I grew up in Ohio and went to college in PA. I still have friends/acquaintances who live and teach in those areas. They are unionized by every sense of the word, but they have had years during which their pay has been frozen.
I am in Virginia, which is a Right To Work State. My district has NEA and AFT locals in addition to some other smaller employee groups. I belong to AFT, but membership is not required and we do not have collective bargaining. While we have unions and associations I would not say we are unionized. While everything is not glitter and unicorns, it not as harsh as you show above.
This is my 23rd year with the district. For all but a few years we have received both step and COLAs. There have been a few during which we received one or the other but not both and just a couple during which we received neither. I'd say overall it has been similar to what those I know teaching in unionized districts have received. Benefits are okay-good IMO.
Our pay scale has an increase for every year of service. There are no plateaus. The BA column goes to step 23, followed by longevity steps. We have additional pay bands for BA+15, BA+30, MA, MA+30 and PhD. Extended day gets extra pay. I make about $63k more today than I made when I started 23 years ago. I currently make $35k more than a first year teacher with a MA. With next year's step and COLA I'll receive a pay bump of about $4k. The district is budgeting an additional $40 million to prop up the middle steps on the scale which they say is currently more significantly below market average according to a study they had done. Some teachers in the middle will see a raise of almost $10k with the step, across the board COLA and additional money being applied to mid-career steps. BA on our current scale ranges from $47k-$86.5k. The MA ranges from $52.8k - 97.8k.
I feel our time is respected. Two student holidays/teacher work days are given as "alternate work location" days. There is one in the fall and one in the spring. I have to have at least 300 minutes of planning per week with a minimum of 240 unencumbered (it's my time, not meeting time unless I agree to it). We have a guaranteed duty free lunch. I admit I don't know what would happen if a sub position was not filled. I haven't experienced that at the elementary level. Meetings are limited in number and length. There also has to be a certain amount of notice. I personally have not had one before/after school staff meeting this school year.
We earn 12 days of leave per year. 5 of those days can be used for personal leave.
Everything is spelled out for our evaluation process. I think it is done professionally and fairly.
What school districts in New York aren't unionized? I thought they all were since the right for public employees to organize is protected in the Taylor Law
Is it right to organize, or right to collectively bargain?
Missouri has a right to collectively bargain, but not to organize. So teachers have temporary bargaining units for contract negotiations, but cannot form unions (with the exception of two districts). Instead, they have voluntary professional organizations (mostly NEA chapters) who do collective bargaining, but cannot represent the teachers individually or on any issues other than the limits of collective bargaining.
This has led to a wide range of simply stupid lifestyle laws in Missouri, like the law passed a few years ago that banned teachers from using facebook or sending text messages to their own biological children.
You have to do your homework. What you can't do is try to fire a teacher for behaviors that you don't even discipline in other teachers. However, if you do your homework and document everything you can indeed dismiss a teacher. All tenure does is entitle you to due process.
Michigan is now a right to work state so the only benefits left are legal representation should we need it and the union fights to keep our class sizes manageable. Collective bargaining has resulted in no step increases for the last 8 years and we've been told flat out there won't be any for several more. It's just lovely being stuck at entry level pay permanently.
Cons: Union dues. With each passing year with no step increase it gets more attractive to not be in a union but my wages wouldn't be any better if I weren't and I'd have no one on my side if something went wrong so they get my $1000/year.
Virtually all of NY's public schools are represented by a union and a strong one at that. I work in a NY public school and challenge anyone from a right to work state to compare salary, benefits, retirement, and job protection. Union membership has some downsides but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. Teaching in NY has been difficult the past few years. I can guarantee you that even at our lowest we are are superior in almost every regard to working as teacher in right to work state.
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