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Wisconsin School Districts Cancelling Classes in Fear of Statewide Walkout

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The_Future
Posts: 1418 - Karma: 607
15 school districts in Southern Wisconsin have canceled classes Thursday in anticipation of a statewide walkout in protest of Governor Scott Walkers bill proposal.  He is attacking unions and undercutting our education system.  He is trying to take away state, public, and local employee's collective bargaining rights.  This is a direct threat to our state's education system and economy as a whole.

  I attend the UW-Madison and our campus, along with others are planning a campus wide walkout at about 10 am tomorrow.  Protests haven't been seen like this in Madison in decades.  10,000+ people have been protesting at the State Capital over the past two days and numbers are expected to exceed that tomorrow after the Wisconsin Education Association Council requested all it's members to come protest in Madison tomorrow.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/local_schools/article_c40c09e4-3a43-11e0-91c0-001cc4c002e0.html
Feb 16 2011 11:48PM
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Alex_G
Posts: 11902 - Karma: 1,019
hahahahahaha wuck fisconsin
Feb 22 2011 3:24PM
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-ROY-
Posts: 3633 - Karma: 1,503
shits crazy around these parts
Feb 22 2011 3:46PM
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Wis_Skier_23
Posts: 2263 - Karma: 245
50 K plus HUGE benefits is what the key factor you are leaving out...you could make 50 or 60K but if you have 30K in benefits that accounts for a lot...its the same as someone in the private sector who makes 80K and pays for their health care out of pocket....and if you dont believe how much they make here you go look it up, just enter the name, district, and position and the salary and benefits they were paid are given

http://www.postcrescent.com/article/99999999/APC0110/80221166 
Feb 22 2011 6:01PM
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john.stossel
Posts: 943 - Karma: 5
fuck unions they are a disease
Feb 22 2011 6:29PM
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Wis_Skier_23
Posts: 2263 - Karma: 245
^need i remind you too they only work 9 months out of the year...judging that 50k is the average they make $5,555.56 per month for their 9 months of work (on average)...ok now lets say they worked year round, they would make an extra $16,666.67 add that all up and you have a grand total of $66,666.67 based on the fact they worked year round, this is their salary alone, not including benefits which arent accounted for which is by no means bad wages...if private sector employees worked 9 months and had their salaries adjusted accordingly they would be making less than teachers do. You earn what you work for...Period

also just some food for thought too on Federal vs Private employees
Average federal salaries exceed average private-sector pay in 83% of comparable occupations. A sampling of average annnual salaries in 2008, the most recent data:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-04-federal-pay_N.htm

I know that is on a national level and not a state level but if you ask me Public Employees have nothing to complain about when it comes to their wages and benefits
Feb 22 2011 6:38PM
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derbski
Posts: 3173 - Karma: 62
Back when bush was president I thought this place was pretty liberal. Turns out it is just cool to hate on whatever party is in the whitehouse.
Feb 22 2011 11:52PM
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Wis_Skier_23
Posts: 2263 - Karma: 245
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Feb 23 2011 5:11PM
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john.stossel
Posts: 943 - Karma: 5
i think "collective bargaining rights" should never have been given in the first place. if employees CHOOSE to pay 1000 dollars a year to a union and theres enough union members to make a strike something the company needs to be weary of, all power to them. but people should not be FORCED to pay the union and the union should not be in control of the company, that is out of control
Feb 27 2011 2:48AM
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Travapple.
Posts: 6787 - Karma: 88
This shit has been going on for so long, walkouts are happening at MATC still
Mar 2 2011 11:58AM
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Wis_Skier_23
Posts: 2263 - Karma: 245
YES! Basically if they dont agree with what the Union is doing or supporting they shouldn't be forced to pay into them....and Walker is going to be cutting back the funds to the school districts because the state is broke.  With the current collective bargaining rights in place now the school districts are going to either have to cut school programs or teachers jobs.  Now with collective bargaining out of the way, Teachers can negotiate their salaries instead of being laid off by the districts which to me is a better alternative...If I were a Teacher, I would rather make less $ than have no job at all...In essence he is giving the individual school boards the abilities to decide how the $ is divided amongst its members
Mar 2 2011 4:54PM
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sherwood4099
Posts: 1173 - Karma: 22
Public Unions should be illegal. Its a plague.
Mar 2 2011 5:40PM
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vailsux.com
Posts: 1769 - Karma: 440
Starting at 24,000 with benefits here in Utah and we pay less than most states. Total value is probably around 28,000-30,000 depending on your county.
Mar 2 2011 8:28PM
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Funnel
Posts: 7815 - Karma: 1,531
Yep. Fuck collective bargaining. That's why I can't believe California elected Jerry Brown again, the bastard gave the unions collective bargaining.
Mar 8 2011 11:25PM
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derbski
Posts: 3173 - Karma: 62
why? just because they get paid by the state and are not private sector does not mean they should have any less right to unionize, if anything they need it more. As a future teacher, I hate when people say things like you just did and back it up with nothing. Look at the NFL players and their situation right now, they are multi-millionaires complaining and using a collective bargaining to try to get a higher wage, and somehow people are more enraged that teachers making a percent of those athletes are trying to do the same thing.
Furthermore, if you actually have read up on the wisconsin situation, you would see that the unions were not being stubborn or unreasonable in any way. They agreed to the increase of teacher contributions to pensions and healthcare, agreed to all of the budget cuts, but that isnt good enough for Walker, who is not out to save money here but to bust unions.
My bottom line is that what Scott Walker is doing right now is hurting wisconsin's education system badly. Teaching is one of the most important professions for a state to have, and it is already highly underpaid and under appreciated; take away the union rights and no graduate with any sort of choice will want to teach in wisconsin.
Mar 9 2011 8:09AM
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derbski
Posts: 3173 - Karma: 62
why? just because they get paid by the state and are not private sector does not mean they should have any less right to unionize, if anything they need it more. As a future teacher, I hate when people say things like you just did and back it up with nothing. Look at the NFL players and their situation right now, they are multi-millionaires complaining and using a collective bargaining to try to get a higher wage, and somehow people are more enraged that teachers making a percent of those athletes are trying to do the same thing.
Furthermore, if you actually have read up on the wisconsin situation, you would see that the unions were not being stubborn or unreasonable in any way. They agreed to the increase of teacher contributions to pensions and healthcare, agreed to all of the budget cuts, but that isnt good enough for Walker, who is not out to save money here but to bust unions.
My bottom line is that what Scott Walker is doing right now is hurting wisconsin's education system badly. Teaching is one of the most important professions for a state to have, and it is already highly underpaid and under appreciated; take away the union rights and no graduate with any sort of choice will want to teach in wisconsin.
Mar 9 2011 8:09AM
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Wis_Skier_23
Posts: 2263 - Karma: 245
Walker is not trying to bust Unions, protesters keep coming back to the collective bargaining. like I have said before, Walker is going to be cutting back the funds to the school districts because the state is broke, 3.6 Billion Broke.   With the current collective bargaining rights in place now the school districts are going to either have to cut school programs or teachers jobs.  Now with collective bargaining out of the way, Teachers can negotiate their salaries instead of being laid off by the districts which to me is a better alternative...If I were a Teacher, I would rather make less $ than have no job at all...In essence he is giving the individual school boards the abilities and power to decide how the $ is divided amongst its members.  That to me is a better solution.  He is not being unreasonable in his demands, look at Ohio. They passed a bill that is way harder on Unions and the protesting and opposition was WAY less that in Wisco, why is that? 

Why is Walker hurting our education system.  If a teacher hates their job so much, that it is all about the money they are in the wrong field.  People also go back to the fact that they are way underpaid.  However are you so quick to forget the luxurious benefits and pensions they receive.  Would you rather make more and receive no benefits or health care? or make a little less and receive health care and a pretty pension waiting for you at 55 (Way under the age of retirement of the private sector) at the end of the day.   50k+30k in benefits is not a bad living
Mar 9 2011 12:44PM
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derbski
Posts: 3173 - Karma: 62
they agreed to the budget cuts and benefits reductions and walker still wont budge on the collective bargaining, so clearly it is not just about the money.
and for your argument that if a teacher is in it for the money they are not in the right field, lets be a little more realistic here. I have already asked my advisor about how to get licensed for other states. Making more money in another state that still legally protects teacher's union rights doesn't make me any worse of a teacher.
Mar 9 2011 12:56PM
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
I just love the hypocrisy of it all. These are the people talking about how we CANNOT raise taxes on people making more than 250k a year, because that is barely making a living. Yet when it comes to teachers, suddenly 50k a year is a cushy wonderful lifestyle.

These are the people who talk about how we cant cut CEO pay, even if its coming from government bailout money, because it removes the incentive to work hard. Yet teachers who face pay cuts are supposed to still want to work hard as ever.
Mar 9 2011 1:07PM
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jibnut
Posts: 3038 - Karma: 304
Oh man, this. Not only do unions help teachers, they help other places too with that sort of thing. People should be fired on performance and should under-go performance reviews. I also think teaching should have an age limit, or unless a teacher gets a "refresh" sooner or later so they aren't so "old fashion, by the book".
Mar 9 2011 1:09PM
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84891jnf92048
Posts: 11552 - Karma: 2,550
Its absolutely ridiculous. And the fact that a certain unnamed news channel will run a program on how raising taxes is a proposterous idea, and people living on 250k are practically homeless, and then immediately after, will talk about how teachers are living a cushy lifestyle on barely 40k a year in many cases is straight up insane.

Our teachers, of all people, need to be protected and paid THE BEST. A child with bad teachers will never make it far in this world, and good teachers can make all the difference in a child's school life. Teachers are horribly under-appreciated by everybody but other teachers, and a select few of the american population.
Mar 9 2011 8:51PM
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derbski
Posts: 3173 - Karma: 62
Well, they just passed the part of the bill that ends collective bargaining, saying that because that part of the bill is non-fiscal, they didnt need the democrats present. Remember last week when Walker said that this bill is purely fiscal? I could fucking puke, I don't know what state I am going to teach in now, but it won't be here, at least not until wisconsin is once again a blue state.
Mar 9 2011 9:12PM
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Static
Posts: 8553 - Karma: 4,089
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Mar 9 2011 9:53PM
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skier_boy26
Posts: 11295 - Karma: 502
Good thing they did it. Those fucking cowards Dems were on the run like a bunch of pussies.

Collective bargaining isn't a "right"

Mar 9 2011 10:10PM
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Gretchen.
Posts: 1163 - Karma: 87
My mom is a teacher in Wisconsin.  We're hoping for the best.
Mar 9 2011 10:34PM
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84891jnf92048
Posts: 11552 - Karma: 2,550
he and i happen to have very similar views.
Mar 9 2011 10:42PM
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PJS.
Posts: 11943 - Karma: 895
amen
Mar 9 2011 10:43PM
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Travapple.
Posts: 6787 - Karma: 88
Walker just opened up a bigass can of worms. Shit is getting real downtown right about now.
Mar 10 2011 12:03AM
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r3dbullninja
Posts: 274 - Karma: 13
Wisconsin was on track to have around 140 million dollars in surplus before Walker entered. Within days of his election (btw he never campaigned on this bargaining rights shit), he and his fellow republican fucks handed out millions to private interest groups... So... STFU, they're broke not because of unions, but because he and his dumbass, selfish, and ignorant cronies handed out money to private supporters and interests, and now WI is screwed royally.. So fucking shut up about the budget, I cannot believe people are so damn ignorant, no wonder these assholes are elected repeatedly.....fucking mind numbing...

"Just last month, he and the Legislature gave away $117 million in tax breaks, mostly for businesses that expand and for private health savings accounts. That was a choice lawmakers made, and had it not been for those decisions and a few others, according to the state's Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the state would have had a surplus." - http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2011/02/gov_walkers_overreach.html

btw, want to know how Republicans communicate, mislead, and misdirect commonfolk who search the internet to uncover the truth about this??? check this shit out, it will blow your mind...

I did a simple search and 7 of the first page results are the same article all by conservative bullshit sites.... Fuck these conservative bastards, you buy into this propoganda and "reagan is jesus shit..." modern day conservatives are not conservative any longer, they are greedy corporate assholes chasing the dollar while screwing over America...Unbefuckinglievable....

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=wisconsin+surplus+when+last+gov+left%3F%3F%3F%3E
Mar 10 2011 1:43AM
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Wis_Skier_23
Posts: 2263 - Karma: 245
First off where has collective bargaining EVER been a right? and on track for a surplus? what planet do you live on were broke and every state around the country knows that...and $117 million in a tax break to small businesses is a good plan...If you give the small businesses tax breaks they can reinvest in their companies in turn hiring more employees, creating jobs...according to your statement, we should tax them more so they have to in turn lay off workers in order to break even raising unemployment...and yes I do buy into Reagan's ideas...he cut taxes and gave people a choice how to spend their money...From a personal level I am more willing to spend my money if I have more in my pocket to start with..not a hard concept to understand
Mar 10 2011 8:55PM
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