Saturday, June 05, 2010

Teacher Union Contract Clause of the Day

Article XXXIV (page 42) of the Pennsbury, Pa., school district teachers contract codifies a category of paid leave:
A total of thirty-five (35) teacher days upon request with advance notice will be granted for Association business.
The term "Association" means union--see Article XXXI (page 40-41). According to Simon Campbell, president of StopTeacherStrikes, Inc., and board director of the Pennsbury school district, such leave "is separate from vacation days or other paid-time off." Almost as cushy as Europe.

As Steven Brill wrote in a recent New York Times Magazine, "If unions are the Democratic Party’s base, then teachers’ unions are the base of the base." They already have benefited enormously from liberal largess. Let's hope taxpayers begin to wise up.

(via Carpe Diem, Don Surber)

5 comments:

Geoffrey Britain said...

Association business = attendance at demonstrations and legislative sessions, acting as get out the vote and neighborhood canvassers. Basically whatever needs doing and wherever the union may need massed troops.

NJ Gov. Christie has it right, unions have become solely about gathering political power. Just one teachers union, in one state, NJ... collects annual dues of $130 MILLION per year.

The Union is using it to literally buy power.

Geoffrey Britain said...

I did a bit of research.

There are 185 teacher days in PA.

185-35 = 150 actual work days

21.75 work days per mth averaged

150/21.75 = 6.8 months of work.

or 365 - 79 = 286 days school year counting weekends. Teachers work 150 of 286 days...

Doesn't count 10 sick days

Average pay 54k for 6.8 months of work

79 day summer vacation

20 paid holidays

11 day paid Xmas/New Year break

Public teachers make 50% more than private teachers

suek said...

GB...

I wasn't entirely clear on the numbers presented. I'm inclined to think that the Union wants a total of 35 days - possibly from multiple teachers, who would be taking 1-2+ days each. I don't think it was 35 days per teacher - but I could be wrong. It seems unlikely that they could afford 35 days for each teacher. That would be massive.

In effect, they're taxing the school district to benefit the union in addition to the union dues they collect from the teachers.

Geoffrey Britain said...

Suek,

As per Carl's "such leave" link:
"Pennsylvania Bucks County teachers are allowed up to 35 days a year off from actual teaching to instead work for their union, according to the contract negotiated between the Pennsbury school district and the Pennsbury Education Association, the local teachers union."

Could be poorly written and thus misleading but unlles that's the case, it certainly indicates this to be 'per' teacher.

@nooil4pacifists said...

GB & Sue: I'm not actually sure which is the intended interpretation. But Sue may be right: only Article XXXIV talks about "total" days, while Article XIV "Absence Policy" merely talks about days (see Art. XIV, Sections 10-13, page 15).