An Explanation for the Union
The reaction of RI Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals lobbyist James Parisi to news that Governor Carcieri’s 2010 budget includes a provision liberating charter schools from some personnel requirements suggests that the teachers’ unions are frightened that charters might become even more successful:
“It’s wrong, it’s unfair, it’s unconscionable, it’s absolutely unnecessary and it wasn’t the deal that was struck when the original charter law was put into place,” James Parisi, a lobbyist for the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals, told the House Finance Committee in a hearing Tuesday.
Who knew the schtick of lawyer Jackie Chiles from Seinfeld worked for lobbyists, as well?
A more interesting quotation from Mr. Parisi comes at the end of Cynthia Needham’s article:
“What I don’t understand,” Parisi said, “is how the governor could propose expanding charter schools when the public school districts are hurting as much as they are hurting.”
The puzzle’s not difficult to solve. The governor recognizes the need to apply education money effectively, where it would do the most good. In the public schools, it would be soaked up by the teachers as a matter of course, without substantial connection to change or improvement. When an organization is fundamentally broken and displays little will to repair the core problem, society will find a way around it.
How about what some union clown used as a reason not to let the potential charter schools teachers out of the union system: “They would not pay their fair share of the unfunded pension liability!”
Just imagine the utter stupidity in that statement. So what do the unions view their members as, indentured servants to retirees, or anyone more senior to them? Unbelievable!
But, it’s all about the kids.
The whole public sector union pensions deal looks more and more like a scheme invented by Bernie Madoff or Charles Ponzi. If you got in early, you made out very well, with retirement after 30 or 35 years, COLAs and full health care benefits (correct me if I’m wrong, all you former RI public sector employees reading this in Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, or, say, Hawaii). But if you got into the game late, you have contributed a small fortune and have a snowball’s chance in hell of ever enjoying a comparable deal. In short, you are screwed. And you are undoubtedly now trying to figure out just who it was that screwed you, so that you can direct your anger in the right direction, and perhaps improve your situation.
Pat Crowley and crew spare no effort to answer your question about who did this to you. And to emphasize, over and over and over again, that your union leadership has been fighting for your best interests all along.
Remember Sherlock Holmes’ “dog that didn’t bark?” Well, it isn’t barking now either. And that should tell you something.
By the way, how many public sector union employees should we expect to see at the State House marching shoulder to shoulder with the Poverty Institute, Ocean State Action, ACORN, Jobs for Justice, and Progeso Latino?
How about funding repair of the public schools themselves, a huge undertaking and like much of RI’s infrastructure repairs that long overdue?
But the governor would rather to scapegoat the teachers union and set up a few pet projects.
“with retirement after 30 or 35 years”
Only twenty years, in some cases, John. Simply astonishing.
“So what do the unions view their members as, indentured servants to retirees, or anyone more senior to them?”
Yes, quite the revealing statement.