Detroit teachers go on strike....not frugal..opinions? - Page 2

 Detroit should bring in scab teachers and permanently blacklist any
union teacher who strikes.  As the OP showed, teachers are way
overpaid.  $20,000 seems like a fair salary for a teacher.  A price
theory graph would probably put the fair value of a teacher salary even
lower.

Teachers are a dime a dozen.  Those who can, do.  Those who can't,
teach.  With huge numbers of people with real jobs getting laid off,
many could become teachers, for example most engineers could probably
teach math.

The only difficulty is weeding out the paedophiles and crooks.  One
teacher in my area stole the funds students donated for a graduating
party.  She spent all the money at a casino.

  Grappletech wrote:

I don't know about nationally, but where I live they can barely get
enough warm bodies to keep watch over the kids.  To me, that is the
proof that teacher pay is too low.  All the debates about raising
standards for teachers are irrelevant because right now, with what they
pay, they're nearly forced to accept every applicant who merely meets
the legal requirements.

What is the rationale for thinking they're overpaid?  "That sounds like
a lot of money"?  That's not a rationale.

Did you ever seriously consider becoming a public school teacher?  Me
neither.  So the only people who do it are those who wouldn't make more
than that anyways, or who do it (partially) from the good of their
hearts, because they want to.  Of course most of us think, "well I
*deserve* to make more than a teacher," but that's just social
convention, not market economics.


Since each public school district only has a single employer (the
state), I think it would be more more unequal to *not* have a union.
What you are arguing for amounts to collective bargaining by only one
side (the employer).

 > But when teachers strike, then
 > it effects a lot of people.  Parents have to scramble to find
 > babysitters (and pay these babysitters) while their kids are out of
 > school due to teacher striking.  It's similar to when mass transit
 > workers strike.  They realize the power they have to screw up a lot of
 > people's ability to get to work and thus make a living, so they USE
 > this ability to garner wage increases.  I think it's terrible.

I do think the state should be free to hire scabs.  And if they can find
enough qualified scabs who will work for lower pay and benefits, fine.
That would be the proof that the teachers' union priced themselves out
of the market.

 timeOday wrote:

Not a problem in PA. There are lots of applications because privately
people know it is a great job but publically because they are union
brothers they have to whine about how terrible conditions are.

A comparable job in the private sector would involve a lot more work.
Just compare. A teacher works 6 ~ 7 hours/day and typically doesn't take
work home because each one has a study period where they also grade
their papers. A private sector job typically goes 10 hours a day often
with out of town travel and late meetings with no extra pay. If a
teacher goes to a bake sale or sports event (union rules require a
minimum of two must go) they get a minimum of $150 each, this also
includes the bus trip to the museum etc. A teacher gets a 3 month
vacation every year and all holidays off. If the weather is bad they
have a snow day. A private sector person may get two weeks vacation and
if bad weather is forcast you get up earlier to deal with it.

Teachers have the ultra deluxe Blue Cross plan. It is impossible to
incur any out of pocket. If a spouse is also a teacher they get an extra
~$1,300/month in their pay because their spouse's plan already covers
their health insurance. Nothing at all similar exists in the private
sector. They can retire with 80% of their salary after 25 years and we
still pay the ultra deluxe health plan. There is nothing similar in the
private sector.

As long as they aren't caught doing something they have a guaranteed job
for life. This isn't true in the private sector.





In PA the teachers are employed by the school district. It is one sided
because the school district has to deal with the teacher's union which
is the most powerful lobbying force in the state.

 George wrote:


Well, yeah, but all that extra money goes to pay for psychiatric
medications, which they all need after having to deal with the little
brats all day.

Marsha/Ohio

 
Dont believe it.


Corse it isnt. It the inevitable result of a 5% unemployment
rate and a 'job' that most arent interested in doing.


Dont believe that either.


That its at the high end for that type of work, given
the conditions like getting the summer off etc.


Neither is yours.


Irrelevant.


Or those who have enough of a clue to realise that its very well
paid and that the conditions leave almost everything else for dead.


Wrong again.


And yours is mindless silly stuff.


More fool you.


More mindlessly silly stuff.


The real proof is that even with double the wages,
they wouldnt get swamped with applicants.