But, I am not surprised that they attack teachers a profession dominated by women, especially at the K-5 level. They really do think that teachers are asking for the sun the moon and the stars when they just want a decent check for ensuring that we have a pool of educated people to run this country.

Exactly!

They get to drown teachers salary in a bathtub, lay another brick to privatization (to pad the pockets of their friends) and find the surprise in the package! Screw with women some more.

Immoral this is.

This is what's going to happen for everything we have as a nation.

The ACA is so inadequate it's pathetic.

Including crazy non-profit hospital administrative salaries.

Lower the allowable salary for food stamps! See how easy that was?

Last edited Wed Mar 6, 2013, 04:59 PM - Edit history (1)

I am calling bull shit on this, why? Glad you asked. All information I am using can be found here: i did not see a newer one. http://www.grps.org/images/departments/human%20resources/pdfs/Final_GREA_Agreement_2007-2011.pdf

Some facts about a full time teacher in Grand Rapids.

Lowest rate of pay. Bachelor step 1 $35.323.00 step 12 $54.753.00 step increases are automatic, it would take 11 years to reach step 12. Follow the link to see how more education and a longer work week increase these earnings over time. Not too mention what looked like a very attractive continuing education policy.

Work days per year 217 (43.4 weeks) wages paid at an hourly rate beyond this. 7.25 hour work day.

7 paid holidays.

New hires receive 5 sick days plus earn one sick day per month. These are bankable.

13 vacation days. Also bankable.

I did not see retirement pension numbers. I probably over looked them.

Health insurance is 100 individual 200 family deductible.

What ever 152 is, a law? Changes the employee portion of insurance premium to 20 percent. up from? State wide. 152 also adds an employers premium cap at $11.0000.00 for single and $15.000.00 for a family plan, with CPI adjustments. Premiums are paid pre-tax. I do know east Grand Rapids teachers were paying a whopping forty per month insurance premium. Hey, thats only 600 a month less than me.

So... I can see where a teacher might have some back premiums deducted, but it would not be a permanent matter. Not too mention they knew this was coming.

the lowest payed full time teacher in district gets paid $1,346.00 gross bi weekly and that is if you choose a 52 pay week plan. Tina is making more than this.

Tina, show us your pay stub, I don't believe you are telling the whole story.

I swear sometimes the left is as bad at distorting the truth as the right and that isn't a good thing.

I wonder how the guy humping my trash into the back of the truck would react to having that contract dropped on him?

http://www.egrps.org/documents/Files/BudgetCommunication4.pdf

work nights, coach through the week or on weekends, give up his/her own money to buy stuff for the job he/she does, work well past contracted time for the sake of meetings, extra duties or just to get the job done. And then--not even get paid for those so called "vacation" days (which they are not) or for "vacation" time in the summer (which is also in error).

I mean afterall, its not like garbage men (or women) can't inspire children. Just think of all the 4 year olds who want to grow up to be garbage workers?

I have to think the working conditions my trash man endures are far worse than any teacher in our system, and now that i think about it, he is far more valuable to me at this point in my life than any teacher in our school sytem.

Perhaps things have changed since I went to college. Education was where those dedicated to cause went and those who couldn't make it in their first second or third majors.

If you looked at the contract, teachers are compensated for their time.

My wife is the personnel person for a company that has around 725 employees, and she tells me they regularly have people with 4 year degrees applying for jobs that are not even close to this level of compensation.

I am not posting this to slag teachers but why didn't they take some action to defray this payback? They had to know it was coming well in advance.

the race to the bottom. So those positions at the company where your wife works, I guess all those people with four degrees are getting paid next to nothing and will also qualify for public assistance. Why are you opposed to paying people a living wage, or better yet, a wage that will allow them to purchase goods and invest?

Last I knew, garbage men or women weren't trying to protect little people from getting their heads blown off and dying into the bargain.

The issue of compensation is a worthy one. But why single out 1, and only 1, profession? You'll hardly convince many with that.

to qualify for public assistance. Don't you think?