Saw something very interesting on the National Review blog. We finally have some good news in the battle between government workers and the serfs who support them (i.e., taxpayers). A Rhode Island town, frustrated by the intransigence of the teacher union, decided to fire the entire staff of the local high school. The union was upset that teachers were being asked to work harder, even though teachers make more than three times as much as the town’s median income. Hopefully, this is a sign that taxpayers have finally become fed up and state and local politicians will decide that they need to side with the people pulling the wagon rather than those riding in the wagon. Here’s an excerpt from the Providence Journal:
- Under threat of losing their jobs if they didn’t go along with extra work for not a lot of extra pay, the Central Falls Teachers’ Union refused Friday morning to accept a reform plan for one of the worst-performing high schools in the state. The superintendent didn’t blink either. After learning of the union’s position, School Supt. Frances Gallo notified the state that she was switching to an alternative she was hoping to avoid: firing the entire staff at Central Falls High School. In total, about 100 teachers, administrators and assistants will lose their jobs. Gallo blamed the union’s “callous disregard” for the situation, saying union leaders “knew full well what would happen” if they rejected the six conditions Gallo said were crucial to improving the school. …In an interview, Jane M. Sessums, union president, said the union intends to fight the terminations, although she was not ready to say how.
http://www.projo.com/education/content/central_falls_teachers.1_02-13-10_ A8HEI7Q_v61.3a65218.html
