In The News

http://www.delawarestatehouse.com/pdfs/061209JFCpaycut.pdf

Delaware House of Representatives
News Service
June 12, 2009
On a 7 to 5 vote, mainly along party lines, the budget-writing Joint Finance
Committee has included a 2.5 percent pay cut for Delaware state employees in
the upcoming Fiscal Year 2010 budget. Democratic State Sen. Dave McBride
joined the four Republicans on the committee – State Reps. Joe Booth & Joe
Miro and State Sens. Catherine Cloutier and Dori Connor – in voting against the
cut.
Included in the proposal is a plan to cut the compensation of public school
teachers by 2.5 percent via the loss of two paid professional development (in
service) days and 1.5 percent of their salary.
The decision stands to directly effect about 31,500 people: 18,000 state workers
and 13,500 public education employees, including 9,000 teachers.Earlier this year, Gov. Jack Markell had proposed cutting the salary of state
workers by eight percent as part of his omnibus plan to close the gap between
projected state revenue and expected spending for the operating budget that
begins July 1st. The administration reportedly agreed to the lower 2.5 percent
pay cut to gain the support needed to get the proposal through the JFC.
The Markell pay cut proposal would have saved the state $91 million, but the cut
adopted by the JFC would yield less than a third of that figure – approximately
$28.5 million.
The State Controller General’s Office currently estimates the budget gap at $750
million to $800 million. The overall state budget is expected to be approximately
$2.9 billion.
State workers are likely to face other cuts in compensation in the form of a higher
co-pay for their health insurance and a freeze in automatic “step increases.” If
implemented as expected, the two actions would result in a combined additional
cut of $26.6 million.
Because state workers’ pensions are based on earnings, the Joint Finance
Committee included a budgetary provision to protect employees on the cusp of
retirement from having their pension income impacted by the pay cut.
State Rep. Joe Booth, a member of the JFC, said he’s disappointed the Markell
administration focused on cutting pay. Booth says it would have been harder,

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_634277.html

Below is an excerpt from the above article from Sunday's Tribune Review on how PA can turn the economy around.
Be sure to read the entire article.

• First, Pennsylvania is one of only 13 states that allow public school teacher strikes and one of only five that have actually had a strike in the last several years.

Indeed, Pennsylvania accounts for about half of all teacher strikes in the nation. Teachers face no financial penalty for striking and get paid for the full school year since Pennsylvania requires 180 days of instruction to be completed.

Moreover, teachers cannot be laid off because of financial hardship in a district. Layoffs can occur only when there has been a significant enrollment decline.

Pennsylvania's teachers are well paid compared with most white-collar workers on a per-hour basis and they receive very generous health care and pension benefits. The ability to strike with impunity creates an enormous negotiating advantage in contract talks. It's an advantage teacher unions have exploited extremely well.

Pee,

Delaware is on the border of the Mason Dixon Line, go figure.

The Trib has always been anti teacher.

Thunder

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_636152.html

Apparently hok is incorrect in his analysis of those in the teaching profession.
The attached article about Jeannette teachers igning a 4 year deal proves that some teachers are grounded and understand what is going on in the world around them.

Thunder, I think you need to be asking for a contract comparable to our neighbors to the east. I'd vote yes to give you this deal.

You would vote yes for a contract that doesn't tell you a career rate? What is the top of the scale? There are a lot of details missing here. You would vote for this?

Now you have my vote!

T

Since all anyone talks about is increases and benefits I just figured that was all there is to a contract.
Hmmmmmm....you mean there is more to it than that???

Oh brother!