Teachers Union Fact of the Day

It's not just fringe benefits. It's about jobs and salaries. According to econ prof/blogger Mark Perry, Department of Education data for the '07-'08 school year show:

1. Overall, public school teachers make a 34.11% premium compared to their private school counterparts.

2. Controlling for experience, public school teachers make a premium that generally increases with the number of years teaching, reaching a maximum premium of 49% for public school teachers with 25-29 years of experience.

3. Public school teachers with one year of experience make about the same ($42,210) as private school teachers with 25-29 years of experience ($42,910).

4. Comparing teachers with equal education, public school teachers earn large premiums over their private school counterparts, especially for public school teachers with less than a bachelor's degree, who earn more than twice the amount on average ($53,880) as private school teachers with the same level of education ($26,670).

Which means the battles with teachers unions are political--a payoff in the form of a high-paying job to ensure continuation of contributions to Democrats.