I’m not going to say a lot about trade unions other than there are good and bad unions just like there are good and bad people and politicians. The defining question we need to ask is are trade unions protecting us from corporate greed or are they themselves consumed in greed. Which is worse – a greedy corporation or a greedy union? They are both the same.
Right now there is a lot of polarization surrounding the teachers strike. The government should pay teachers a fair wage and allot money for education because education is important. No doubt. The government using the kids as political pawns in their campaign to slash budgets so they can keep giving themselves a raise is wrong.
Yet, in the real world, how much taxes we spend on education counter balances with how much money we spend on heath care and other government programs like police, fire as well as road and bridge construction. The money has to come from somewhere.
Likewise the union using the kids as pawns to get a bigger raise for their members is wrong too. Is your dispute really about class size or is it really about wages? Why did you choose to become a teacher in the first place? You’re only in grade 12 once. Cutting out extra circular activities in that crucial year will never be replaced. What if that extra curricular program is the only thing keeping a kid in school? Dropping the program and having that kid drop out of school would be a tragedy.
They say the company gets the union it deserves. If a company is ruthless in exploiting it’s employees, they usually get or create a militant union to counter balance that drive. Some of the most productive and profitable companies are ones that actually consider customer service and genuinely care about how they treat their employees.
The teachers are striking AGAIN??
ReplyDeleteThis shit just never ends. The union needs to be de-certified and teachers need to be class with other public sector workers such as police and fire where if they strike they can be fired. They have an above average paying job anyway and if IIRC get the summer off with pay? Must be nice. Given how half of the time in school is spent with activities that are more indoctrination/socialization than actual education, I'm not as convinced of their importance as they seem to be.
lol The teachers strike is a concern because it's affecting our kids. De-certifying the Union with a Campbell/Clark government would not be in the kid's best interest. Yet I am also concerned that the union can get as distracted as the Campbell/Clark government can. Education is important. Kids do matter.
ReplyDeleteAnytime the gov't gets between knowledge and the people there are problems and most people unions (marriages) even on a small scale don't pan out that well.
ReplyDeleteI smell Greece.
Thanks AK.