In three editions this week, weve had stories related to workers in the public sector and their contracts. Theyve got my blood boiling, particularly because they coincide with conversations our editorial board is having with political candidates and our budgeting process at the Times.
I promise I tie all of this together by the end of the post.
The first story regarded the scheduling of parent-teacher conferences in the Monroe school district this year. The conferences are next Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to noon. In the past, there have been afternoon and evening hours. Not this year, because the district was denied a waiver to count evening conferences as days of instruction. And, depending on your perspective, it was either too late to adjust the district calendar, or the teachers union wouldnt agree to change the calendar, to accommodate p.m. conferences. As if a night or two of conferences couldnt be arranged as a matter of convenience for the districts parents who work in the morning.
The second and third stories were about City of Monroe contract negotiations with union employees one about an agreement with Monroe Professional Police Association, the other about the beginning of talks with the AFSCME members. In the police contract, the city backed off paying 90 percent for health care premiums, and instead will pay 100 percent in 2008, 97.5 percent in 2009 and 95 percent in 2010. Salary increases will be around 4 percent in steps over a year. A sick leave accumulation will be 100 days. Offers to the AFSCME workers were identical to those made with the police union.
Do you see where Im going with this yet?
In the private sector, wage freezes and cuts are becoming more and more common as the economy constricts. In the public sector, increases continue to be 3 and 4 percent not fantastic, I know, but more than many of our readers are getting at their private-sector workplaces.
Meanwhile, health care benefit costs continue to jump by percentages much higher than the cost of living or the raises received. Few private companies pay 100 percent, or even 90 percent, of an employees health care premiums, as many schools and governmental bodies do.
And the AFSCME workers now are asking for a full-day holidays for Christmas eve and New Years eve.
All of this, of course, is paid for by taxpayers.
Without question, I respect the work thats done by public-sector employees, particularly police and fire personnel. Theyre tough jobs, and theyre important.
But so are a lot of other jobs, including being a newspaper reporter.
I dont necessarily wish anyone to have to pay significantly more for health care benefits, or to be subject to a pay freeze or cut. But its happening almost everywhere else around us.
For the past week, Ive heard politicians talk about the budgetary constraints they are working under at the state level, and how the states problems continue to effect local governmental units, including schools. With the rising costs of benefits and salaries being the major driver of budgetary crises in local governments and schools, I would rather those expenses be reined in than see programs and services continue to get cut.
But thats just my opinion. What do you think?
I promise I tie all of this together by the end of the post.
The first story regarded the scheduling of parent-teacher conferences in the Monroe school district this year. The conferences are next Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to noon. In the past, there have been afternoon and evening hours. Not this year, because the district was denied a waiver to count evening conferences as days of instruction. And, depending on your perspective, it was either too late to adjust the district calendar, or the teachers union wouldnt agree to change the calendar, to accommodate p.m. conferences. As if a night or two of conferences couldnt be arranged as a matter of convenience for the districts parents who work in the morning.
The second and third stories were about City of Monroe contract negotiations with union employees one about an agreement with Monroe Professional Police Association, the other about the beginning of talks with the AFSCME members. In the police contract, the city backed off paying 90 percent for health care premiums, and instead will pay 100 percent in 2008, 97.5 percent in 2009 and 95 percent in 2010. Salary increases will be around 4 percent in steps over a year. A sick leave accumulation will be 100 days. Offers to the AFSCME workers were identical to those made with the police union.
Do you see where Im going with this yet?
In the private sector, wage freezes and cuts are becoming more and more common as the economy constricts. In the public sector, increases continue to be 3 and 4 percent not fantastic, I know, but more than many of our readers are getting at their private-sector workplaces.
Meanwhile, health care benefit costs continue to jump by percentages much higher than the cost of living or the raises received. Few private companies pay 100 percent, or even 90 percent, of an employees health care premiums, as many schools and governmental bodies do.
And the AFSCME workers now are asking for a full-day holidays for Christmas eve and New Years eve.
All of this, of course, is paid for by taxpayers.
Without question, I respect the work thats done by public-sector employees, particularly police and fire personnel. Theyre tough jobs, and theyre important.
But so are a lot of other jobs, including being a newspaper reporter.
I dont necessarily wish anyone to have to pay significantly more for health care benefits, or to be subject to a pay freeze or cut. But its happening almost everywhere else around us.
For the past week, Ive heard politicians talk about the budgetary constraints they are working under at the state level, and how the states problems continue to effect local governmental units, including schools. With the rising costs of benefits and salaries being the major driver of budgetary crises in local governments and schools, I would rather those expenses be reined in than see programs and services continue to get cut.
But thats just my opinion. What do you think?
