Labor

Out of the Din

By Justin Katz | April 4, 2008 |

Throughout my adult years, I’d never so much as considered sending my children to private school (parochial or otherwise) until very recently. Even my particular tincture of religious faith leads me strongly to feel that spending one’s formative years among a cross-section of the local society — an opportunity that my own experience led me…

A Raise over a Coworker

By Justin Katz | April 2, 2008 |

The budget passed at the last Tiverton School Committee meeting — largely reflecting the latest teacher contract proposed — included the loss of only one teaching position from the payrolls. Prior to that, the district had sent out thirty-four non-renewal notices. Apparently, three-quarters of the teachers are willing to accept the risk (and probable sacrifice)…

Thomas Wigand: Camouflage Green

By Engaged Citizen | March 17, 2008 |

As reported in the Providence Journal on March 13: “A coalition of labor unions, environmental advocates and antipoverty groups are collaborating to promote legislation that would help spark new renewable-energy industries in Rhode Island. The group, which calls itself the Green Jobs Alliance, says it has come together to promote a ‘green economy’ that improves…

Unhoodwinkable

By Justin Katz | March 6, 2008 |

In her post this afternoon, Monique didn’t quote my favorite unionist quotations in that article about the governor’s proposal to require presigning public hearings on public contracts (emphasis added): “I’m halfway decent at reading tea leaves and I’m pretty clear that this budget article is about putting pressure on public officials not to give decent,…

Negotiating Child Abuse

By Justin Katz | February 27, 2008 |

So what are the odds of this becoming law? Amending state law to clearly prohibit strikes is the task force’s first recommendation. If Carcieri supports the plan as expected, he would have to ask lawmakers to submit the bill to the General Assembly for a vote. Officials at the state Department of Education researched tougher…

The Most Basic Requirements

By Justin Katz | February 19, 2008 |

In a letter to the editor of the Sakonnet Times (not online), Tiverton High School physics and chemistry teacher Richard Bernardo offers general encouragement to everybody involved in the contract disputes to “roll[] up [their] sleeves and [get] the job done.” In light of news released since Mr. Bernardo penned his letter, this part sticks…

If Nothing Else, Sympathy

By Justin Katz | February 18, 2008 |

One of the great boons of the Internet is the ability of a few keywords to lead random citizens to sympathetic conversations — replete with research, back-story, and action — already in progress. In my emailbox this weekend: I am writing today after having stumbled upon your “Anchor Rising” website which described the 2005 East…

Sharing the Pain in Tiverton

By Justin Katz | February 13, 2008 |

I don’t support residency requirements for such public employees as teachers. It’s nice to think that your children are being taught by your neighbors (as inaccurate as that characterization of fellow townspeople may be), but schools should find the best teachers they can, and teachers should be free to decide where to live. That said,…

Lying Down the Line

By Justin Katz | February 5, 2008 |

Readers familiar with NEA Assistant Executive Director Patrick Crowley’s body of work are to be forgiven if they took the opening line of the letter to the editor that he’s been passing around to all the local papers — “repeat the lie, no matter how false it is” — as advice, not a complaint. Dan…

Re: The All-American, Union Family

By Justin Katz | February 3, 2008 |

Legend has it that, upon Napoleon’s crowning himself emperor, Beethoven tore or scratched Bonaparte’s name from his Eroica Symphony manuscript in a fury. The revolutionary inspiration had been perverted, but still, many followed the general even thereafter, some perhaps out of a nostalgic faith that the principles of liberté, egalité, and fraternité would win through…