I haz some Kars

"ImmoralMinority" (araimondo) 10/23/2017 at 22:48 • Filed to: None

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I made a deal today on one of the toughest collective bargaining negotiations I have ever done. It was satisfying because everyone smiled and shook hands at the end; both management and union bargained hard, not for ego or bluster, but for the good of their side of the table. Everyone was aggressive but reasonable. Personally, I have never seen workers so personally involved and engaged in negotiations, which made it work. It went down to the wire, but it felt good. Not many days like that in this business.

But I need more parking.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > ImmoralMinority 10/23/2017 at 22:54

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We need a moment like this. My collective agreement has been in negotiation since 2014. By the time they finally settle it it’ll already have expired and they’ll need to start working on another.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > ImmoralMinority 10/23/2017 at 22:56

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Come work on our next agreement! I’m not sure anyone know what they’re doing for us.

shop-teacher > ImmoralMinority 10/23/2017 at 23:02

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Good deal!

This is the final year of our contract. They haven’t even started negotiating yet. The last two each took a year and a half to negotiate. Soooooo .... not a good sign. The district is still busy fighting with the support staff, which get paid approximately chicken-feed. I accidentally saw the W2 of one of our special ed aids last year (she printed it to my classroom’s printer by accident), and I was appalled.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ImmoralMinority 10/23/2017 at 23:11

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The infinity is looking neglected.

Chariotoflove > shop-teacher 10/23/2017 at 23:14

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It’s not like the people who go into education are planning to get rich either. I don’t know why people continue to nickel and dime the most important investment in their kids’ futures. And then when districts do get the money they need, so many of them find a way to waste it.

Chariotoflove > ImmoralMinority 10/23/2017 at 23:15

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Congrats pal. Enjoy the sweet taste of success.

WilliamsSW > ImmoralMinority 10/23/2017 at 23:24

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Enjoy it!

shop-teacher > Chariotoflove 10/23/2017 at 23:26

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Everyone wants the best ... until it’s time to pay for it. Teachers in my district do alright. It’s reasonably competitive for the area, and my family has everything we need. It’s genuinely shameful how little they pay the special ed aids though. I literally made more delivering pizza in high school 20 years ago, and this is a job that requires a bachelors degree.

WilliamsSW > shop-teacher 10/23/2017 at 23:29

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Ugh. Good luck. Sad that they’re trying to nickel and dime educators because ‘muh taxes’. There’s probably plenty of waste that can be reduced elsewhere but that would require work...

Chariotoflove > shop-teacher 10/23/2017 at 23:34

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That’s a real shame. Those of us who send our kids to private schools have to pony up for tuition and still pay our taxes for the public schools. I don’t begrudge them that money though, because investment in education benefits all of society. I just get upset when they take the money and the schools underperform so badly.

Special ed aids in our catholic school are too expensive. We don’t even have them. For that, kids have to go to the public schools. That’s what my wife’s cousin with Down Syndrome did, even though all her siblings went to catholic school.

shop-teacher > WilliamsSW 10/23/2017 at 23:35

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Definitely. The big problem is one man’s waste is another man’s income. That’s why our health care system is so FUBARed.

I always get a kick when people complain about how much the school system takes from ‘muh taxes’ and while they’re in the middle of that, I can see the look on their face change when they remember I’m a teacher.

shop-teacher > Chariotoflove 10/23/2017 at 23:42

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You get it. So many don’t.

One thing I will say about the system as a whole, in defense of it, is that in comparison to other countries our schools perform much better than the numbers show. This is because we’re the only country that tests every single student. Other countries “track” students. Only students placed on an academic track get tested. That’s illegal in the US.

Which is not to say there aren’t school systems in the US that are utterly broken, as clearly there are some truly dreadful school systems in our country.

WilliamsSW > shop-teacher 10/23/2017 at 23:48

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The thing is, there is waste in the system, and once in a while the local news will do some expose on it. Then people who don’t want to pay anything get hung up on that and ignore the good, and forget that much of those taxes are to pay people like you who do very important work.

But hey Chicago CPS is heating empty schools so why should I pay anything?? Smh.

Chariotoflove > shop-teacher 10/24/2017 at 00:22

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The public school system I went to was really well run and prepared me well for college. It’s gone way downhill to the point where my sister won’t send her kids there now. It’s sad to see a school district have the winning formula and lose it.

JeepJeremy > ImmoralMinority 10/24/2017 at 00:41

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You have an Explorer Sport Trac too?!!?

Kat Callahan > ImmoralMinority 10/24/2017 at 00:56

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This is great to hear, you might recall I’m a union exec. Honestly, truly, we don’t (typically) want to put employers out of business. We want robust workplaces to work in. It’s always nice when both sides actually really do come to a good LMA.

MINIGTI > ImmoralMinority 10/24/2017 at 03:08

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Nice to hear you had a good day at work for one. Must make it even more satisfying.

pip bip - choose Corrour > ImmoralMinority 10/24/2017 at 05:29

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your Infiniti is worthless, i offer $5

8)

shop-teacher > WilliamsSW 10/24/2017 at 07:05

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Yep, no doubt about it.

I used to work for the Lincoln-Way high school district. That place was run so wastefully, that the former superintendent is now under federal indictment. I hope they get a conviction.

shop-teacher > Chariotoflove 10/24/2017 at 07:11

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That is sad.

OPPOsaurus WRX > ImmoralMinority 10/24/2017 at 08:05

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I built this specifically to fit under a 2004 Sport Trac’s Rear passenger seat. Too bad you are not closer. It would probably cost more to ship it than it would to build a new one

haveacarortwoorthree2 > Chariotoflove 10/24/2017 at 08:46

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And then when districts do get the money they need, so many of them find a way to waste it.

This! I would gladly pay our taxes — or even an increase — to fund our schools if they would cut out even 50% of the waste, mismanagement, and fraud. Heck, just look at the fiasco that is Dallas County Schools (for those not in the area, Dallas County Schools actually doesn’t provide schools, but instead is the bus service for many of the ISDs within Dallas County and is funded via property taxes). ISDs piss away millions of dollars every year, and the teachers and students are the ones that get shortchanged every single time.