[geeks] OLPCs for sale...

[Lionel Peterson]

>From: wa2egp at att.net
>Date: 2007/11/20 Tue AM 12:38:33 CST
>To: The Geeks List <geeks at sunhelp.org>
>Subject: Re: [geeks] OLPCs for sale...

>> Locally, my school district is going to be working on a settlement for 
their new 
>> contract for (I think) the rest of the year, *ensuring* all parents realize 
our 
>> teachers are putting their paycheck before the students, since they are now 
>> dropping all "unpaid" activities at their unions behest to "drive the point 
>> home". I don't think they'll get the results they expect...
>
>I bet you want to work an extra hour a day for nothing. :)  Seriously,
>I don't know what "unpaid activities" are but no matter what job you have,
>if you do something for nothing, you'll never get paid for it in the
>furture and more likely, you'll be expected to do more for nothing.  Those
>contract negotiations can be real nasty.  Too bad nobody really wins.

I don't work right now, so I can't relate to the question ;^)

Seriously though, the "unpaid activities" are things the teachers didn't get 
paid for doing last year, the year before, etc, and they won't get paid for 
them after the new contract is settled - to make them a false issue is just 
abusive to the families and children, IMHO.

IF the teachers felt they should get paid for them, that's a different 
argument, but that is not what they are saying. The music teacher is talking 
about not having the winter concert because it the union doesn't have a 
contract? Seriously, what is the connection? Cancelled field trips? They are 
pissing off the wrong people.

I *seriously* hope our school district decides to just hand over 100% of the 
money they put aside for health benefits last year (with a 4% increase to 
account for COL increase) and let the union/teachers figure out how to fund a 
bill that is 110% of last years amount with only 104% of the money to pay it 
(state maximum increase per year...

This is the plan GM worked out with their unions [0], I think it could work on 
the smaller scale as well... It would be fun to try anyway.

Lionel

[0] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2007/09/26/AR2007092600155_pf.html