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teacher6057
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Posted: Tue Jul 7th, 2009 03:26 am |
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Playing the Game, it is rather unfortunate that you seem to have a negative view of teachers. Teachers are told what to do right down to the only time during the day that they are able to have a restroom break. Perhaps you should 'play the education' game long enough to get a firm grasp of what the people in education do during the day. Perhaps then your asinine comment would have some sort of bearing.
A teacher's day is fully recorded on a schedule outside of many classrooms, and if not, it is on file in the office. If you choose, you would probably be able to see one. We work constantly from the time that we enter the classroom until we leave it at the end of the day. We are told when to teach each subject, how long to teach each subject, and we are expected to follow guidelines and pacing charts that someone who is not familiar with our students has created and mandated. Perhaps that is your definition of not being told what to do, but it is not mine.
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Playing the Game
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Posted: Tue Jul 7th, 2009 02:38 am |
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| It's about time someone told the teachers what to do.
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teacher6057
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Posted: Tue Jul 7th, 2009 12:22 am |
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| Interesting that most agencies were given the freedom to develop their own plan to get the 5 days, but educators were told how to get them. Then, the gov says that if an agency cannot find a way to achieve the days, they don't have to take them. So...why even bother with attempting to find a way if it is not mandatory, unless you are an educational agency?
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teacher6057
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Posted: Tue Jul 7th, 2009 12:19 am |
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There is an old saying..."You scratch my back, and I will scratch yours." I feel as if DSEA leaders and the governor and friends are involved in a wee bit of nepotism. For someone who supports education and teachers and wants children to learn, being happy that we ended up with 5 furlough days on top of an increase in health care benefits doesn't sound right to me. Wait until next year. Are we going to be "so happy" when they don't give us back the 5 days (2.5%) and then take 5 more away because they can?
As educators and even as young children, you know that consistency is the key. If I let a child walk around the room aimlessly once, that same child will do it again. If you are stopped immediately, then it makes you realize that you can't do that. The legislature was not stopped, they have no consequences for their actions and I bet in February 2010, we are going to hear a similar story about the biggest deficit this side of the Mississippi. Then, we have to go through the same exact stuff again. This deficit and the government's inability to find another way to "find" this money is the stuff tall tales are made of. The only thing is most tall tales are fiction and humorous. This is nonfiction and a horror story.
Remember to thank your elected officials for their wonderful effort in shaking your hand and slapping your face at the same time. A talent only a few have.
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Two Cents
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Posted: Mon Jul 6th, 2009 09:14 pm |
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| I believe that state employees need to thank their state senators and representatives for everything they got in this budget process. I would almost be willing to wager that the vast majority will forget by the time their state representatives and senators terms expire, when they could be replaced.
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Brainiac
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Posted: Mon Jul 6th, 2009 03:18 pm |
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Two Cents: I think you may have misunderstood the 5 day trick. Here's the deal .. the entire Department (not Divisions, not Sections) must submit a plan for the use of the 5 days to the Budget Director for approval. If the 5 days cannot be taken by every employee of the Department without incurring overtime costs, NOBODY gets the 5 days. NOBODY includes the administrative staff. If you can't take the 5 days, you do NOT get paid at overtime rates, you simply LOSE the 5 days. This was NOT a GIFT. In addition, everyone on this forum seems to have overlooked the new Short Term Disability cut that was made. In the past, the Short Term Disability program managed by the Hartford (and made mandatory for every employee hired after a certain date) allowed the employee to use "STD" if their illness exceeded 20 days up to 183 days (or 6 months) at which time they could be terminated. NOW an employee has to be out for 60 days (2 months) and they can be terminated after 90 days (3 months). How kind of our "generous assembly".
In essence, State employees took the following hits: 2.5% pay cut, doubled out of pocket expense for health care, reduced disability benefits, and 5 days that can never be taken.
Here's the math:
BEFORE AFTER
Annual Salary 40,000 39,000
Health Care 1,820 3,640
TOTAL 38,180 35,360
35,360 divided by 38,180 = 92% or an 8% reduction which does NOT include the reduced short term disability or the 5 day "gift". Shame on our legislators for thinking state employees are stupid.
The above is a cut and paste from a member who posted in another forum and this person details how screwed State Employees still are and how we'll never see the 5 days so nicely provided by our Governor because he never meant for us to have them in the first place.
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Luvpug002
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Posted: Fri Jul 3rd, 2009 04:28 pm |
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It's supposed to be for EVERY state employee; not just teachers... Maybe, just maybe, the unions helped all state workers with this one.
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Hartlyboy
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Posted: Fri Jul 3rd, 2009 03:37 pm |
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Luvpug002 wrote: Supposedly it is a trade off~ the 2.5% comes out of your salary (of course), but you are compensated by having 5 furloughed days.
I admit to not understanding how union games work, but are you saying a 2.5% paycut is the equivalent to 5 working days and the 5 days off makes you even? 2.5% of the standard work days in a year is about 5-6 days so maybe the teachers did slip one through on everyone again.
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Luvpug002
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Posted: Fri Jul 3rd, 2009 02:22 pm |
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Supposedly it is a trade off~ the 2.5% comes out of your salary (of course), but you are compensated by having 5 furloughed days.
In an email from Tim Barchak of the DSEA (Dir. of Legislation and Political Org.):
"The 8% straight salary cut became a 2.5% salary reduction in the form of furlough days. In practice, a 2.5% pay reduction will be spread out in 26 pay periods and in exchange, employees will take five furlough days. In other words, instead of receiving less pay, but working the same amount of time, the school year has been cut 5 days to compensate for the loss of pay. For teachers, the 5 days will come from professional development days. Other school employees will be given their five days through a plan worked out between their local union and school district."
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Tired1969
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Posted: Fri Jul 3rd, 2009 01:40 pm |
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| The five days off are "paid" and we're supposed to buy into the idea that they will offset the 2.5% paycut. The problem is that most agencies will not be able to let their employees have the five days due to do coverage creating overtime situations. Snaky Markell again getting something(2.5%) from the state employees for nothing(no five days). Last edited on Fri Jul 3rd, 2009 01:41 pm by Tired1969
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Playing the Game
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Posted: Fri Jul 3rd, 2009 12:07 pm |
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| Everything I have read states that the 5 days off are in addition to the 2.5% and they are with pay.
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Luvpug002
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Posted: Fri Jul 3rd, 2009 04:16 am |
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The five days off is without pay. That's what Diane Donohue (president of DSEA) is so happy about, all the union's hard work got the employees 5 unpaid days off for their pay cut.
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Hartlyboy
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Posted: Fri Jul 3rd, 2009 03:47 am |
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From the news articles, that 5 days off is with pay so that is some consolation, assuming , as you say, they get to take it.
The sad thing about all these games is that in about 6 months this is going to start all over again. Unless you are drinking the Obama Kool-Aid, the belief that the economy is going to snap back by FY 2011 is just silly. Except for political posturing and taking care of certain special interests, neither the state or Federal leaders have done a lot to make things turn around and put the half million people a month who are losing jobs back to work.
The economy is a lot like the stock market, it can tank in a heartbeat and jump up and down in the short term , but long term recovery is always a multiple of the down turn time. Jobs just don't jump up overnight because people who pay the salaries [those evil rich people] don't risk higher costs until they are sure they can survive.
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Tired1969
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Posted: Fri Jul 3rd, 2009 02:54 am |
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1). I would be shocked to see State Employees get the five furlough days off. Our Governor has put it in the hands of the individual state agencies by saying the time off cannot create a coverage situation where overtime is involed. This way he feels he can't be blamed if the time off doesn't happen. Well he is still the creator of the whole pay cut scenario.
2). I don't see any language stating when and how the pay scales will return to the amount they were before the pay cut. This 2.5% is gone forever !!
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Playing the Game
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Posted: Fri Jul 3rd, 2009 01:55 am |
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| Markel and the Democrat leadership (sic) are toast in the next elections. It begins with the election to replace the baddest of the bad in back room deals next month in Bridgeville. God rest the soul of Thurman and God dern his politics.
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Luvpug002
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Posted: Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 11:52 pm |
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The Governor said he appreciates “the active and open discussion these issues have generated. Now, with a responsible budget that allows us to move forward, I know we can work together to meet the very significant challenges facing our State." The discussion isn’t over yet, Governor Markell.
You have successfully cut the personal income of your state employees by 2.5%. You have successfully cut health care benefits which ultimately cuts 2% of your state employees’ personal income. You have also managed to cut the income of your professional state employees earning over $60,000 a year by implementing a tax increase of 1%. State police officers, teachers, and other professional groups will be losing 5.5% of their income!! You can muddy the waters enough to get people to believe you are giving them some “time off”, but what it really boils down to is your employees will be losing a lot of money at a time when making ends meet is becoming more and more difficult.
Diana Donohue of the DSEA said, "I'm very pleased with where we ended up. Everyone's hard work and commitment on this effort paid off… Their pay is being reduced, but they are not working for five of those days. That's a huge difference from a salary reduction." What?! Ms. Donohue, no money is NO money. Ask any teacher and I’m sure they would rather be working five days and earning their money so they can make their mortgage payments and buy groceries for their families.
Could this situation have been worse? Yes. Should it have been worse? No. Was there a plan that didn’t call for payroll cuts or unpaid days off? YES! Governor and union leadership, please don’t spit on me and tell me it’s raining, it's insulting.
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