When public school teachers in Philadelphia finished the school day October 27, they went outside and did something many of them hadn’t done in nearly 20 years - went on strike. It was a strike that lasted for the entire weekend, with a proposed settlement being announced early Monday morning - to the dismay of many students.
Talks between the union, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and the school district, which is operated by the City of Philadelphia, have been going on since January of this year. Not much progress has been made during that time, and the lack of leadership offered by Mayor John Street has helped the matter, either. Most of the progress that has been made was made during the proverbial eleventh hour in hopes of averting a strike. Unfortunately, for the city’s 210,000 public school students, the teachers decided to walk instead of teach.
PFT and city officials announced they had reached a contract just before dawn, bringing to end the weekend strike. The schools also serve as polling places, and a strike, many feared, would cause some to not vote. A negative impact would have been felt on Al Gore’s bid for the White House, many, especially in the
PFT, feared. The PFT endorses Gore’s bid.
In an announcement about the strike being called off, pending approval of a new contract, Street said, “Schools will be open, buses will be running, and teachers will be in the classrooms. We hope to be as close to business-as-usual today as possible.”
Ted Kirsch, the PFT’s president, said, “We’re very pleased to reach a contract settlement. We’re asking all members to report on time, and to perform their regularly scheduled duties.”
Isn’t that nice? Asking teachers, nurses, librarians, and others to show up for work, like they are supposed to do, and be at the worksite on time. Wow! What a concept. Then asking them to “perform their regularly scheduled duties,” too. Amazing. Next time Kirsch speaks to the PFT membership, perhaps he should tell many of the lazy teachers to get their butts in gear and begin teaching. Telling them to care about their job, and take pride in what they do would be asking too much, at least from the union perspective. Maybe that’s a job reserved for parents.
Neither Kirsch nor Street would discuss the details of the tentative contract, although the contract is a public document, as well as the employees being public servants. I hate when public officials refuse to release public information, but they have the loophole to not discuss “ongoing contract negotiations.”
I was a student in Philadelphia’s public schools during the last teacher strike. In fact, I wrote a few news articles about that strike for local newspapers, as well as a commentary from a student’s vantage point. I didn’t have many good things to stay about the PFT at that time, nor do I now. I guess some things never change.
Contract negotiations are based on what’s known as the win-win principle. Each side offers concessions during the negotiations, usually meeting at the mid-point, in hopes of achieving a mutually acceptable agreement.
The PFT believes contract negotiations are based on the old give-and-take principle. Give-and-take, in the mind’s eye of PFT chief Kirsch, works by city giving as much as possible, then giving even more, and the union taking all that is offered. The union membership, as seen through Kirsch’s rose-colored glasses, has given the city 19 years of schooling without striking. Kirsch also believes the city prints money at will.
Kirsch criticized the city averting a state takeover of the local school district. The city had to find $30 million in budget cuts to fulfill terms of a deal struck between the city and the state. In its last-ditch efforts, the city laid off 15 home economics teachers in July. It was the third straight year this happened. In addition to those teachers, five night-school teachers and around 220 classroom assistants, support service assistants, and paraprofessional staff were laid off, as well.
Could the cuts have come from other areas? Perhaps, but who has control over the budget? No, I’m not talking about the all-mighty-and-powerful Mayor Street, I’m talking about the school district. You see, when cuts have to be made, all things must be evaluated. Even though teachers were eliminated from the district’s payroll, as well as support staff, what were the other options available? Cutting the budget for new textbooks? How about cutting funds for building maintenance? Maybe a cut could have been made in the budget for school security. That option would only have worked if the
gangbangers, drug dealers, and other thugs who run around in the schools these days would have agreed to back off from any violent acts and behave. If that were even plausible, perhaps Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold would have also cast aside their murder-suicide plot at Columbine back on April 20, 1999. The duo’s escapade left 15 people dead.
What were the results of the 1981 strike by the PFT? Well, let’s count the cost. The district’s deficit has spiraled since that time, and the number of middle-class students in the district began dwindling. Other options, such as private, parochial, and religious schools became the choice of many of the parents. There has also been a steady flow of people moving from the city. These problems did nothing but compound the already existing problems in the nation’s fifth-largest city and seventh-largest school district.
The PFT and the school district are divided over two issues. The first being the most obvious: money.
A $15-million increase in payments to the union's health and welfare fund, with no increase in base pay is on the table. While no pay increase is being argued for the school year, the teachers want a $1,000 “bonus” payment. That bonus would be part of a four-year contract, which the PFT is hoping to force, which would provide a six percent pay increase next year, and a four percent increase during the final two years of the contract.
The other issue, which is even more politically-charged is the city’s demand that teachers work a 7-1/2 hour day. That is one hour - 60 minutes, as the PFT emphasizes - longer than the teachers are currently working.
While the city and union fought their battles, bridging the gap ever so slightly, the PFT offered to work an extra 30 minutes each day. The mayor asked for 45 minutes.
The background behind the extra hour of teaching time isn’t something the mayor has arbitrarily tossed onto the bargaining table. State legislators, you see, told the city that teachers in Philadelphia must approach the state average of 7-1/2-hours teaching if the city wants more financial aid for the schools.
New teachers in Philadelphia, holding a bachelor’s degree, start at $31,344, which equals out to $26.78 per hour, based on a 6-1/2 hour workday. Those with a master degree, start out with a base salary of $32,555. After being in the system for 11 years, teachers max the pay scale in Philadelphia, earning about $50,000. The union negotiates annual pay increases for all teachers with more 11 years in the system, tossing the pay scale to the wind.
The PFT, which represents about 21,000 counselors, librarians, nurses, and teachers, among other employees at the district’s 260 schools, is also upset because the city’s pay scale is roughly $15,000 below the top salaries in suburban school districts. The union was to bridge that gap, as well, over the next four years.
Street wants increases tied to performance. Good idea, Mayor Street.
Since taking office this past January, Street hasn’t done many things that warrant praise. In fact, he has done more that warrants ridicule and criticism. One thing Street did in recent months, making any negotiation with unions more difficult, was discuss his plan for funding a stadium construction project for the Philadelphia Eagles. He wants to bulldoze part of an ethnic neighborhood - part of Philadelphia’s Chinatown - to build a stadium. The team says it will leave the city if it doesn’t get a new stadium. I guess the Philadelphia Eagles will be known with a new city name in the near future. Bye, bye Eagles. Go fly away - especially with your depressing record.
Another issue that complicated the negotiations is a new law in Pennsylvania that allows the state to take control of local school districts for a variety of reasons. The mayor and governor have been discussing the realities of that law, and it seems the teachers may be in for a hard slap of reality.
Back in 1981, the Professional Air Traffic Controller’s Organization
(PATCO) went on strike. The strike led to the firing of more than 11,000 federal employees. Perhaps the teachers should read some historical information and learn a quick lesson. The law is in place. Teacher certifications could be revoked. That would place a great burden on the state to find new teachers to replace any fired, but I’m sure there is a glut of unemployed teachers throughout this country.
When Kirsch issued the strike notice on October 23, he kept chanting, followed by his cheering section, the members of the
PFT, “Shame on you!” because the city and school district didn’t bow to his demands.
During a negotiation session that lasted into the early morning hours of October 27, Kirsch walked out because he wasn’t getting his way. The negotiation session was to possibly avert the strike that was planned for that afternoon.
The next time a PFT member or Kirsch chants “shame on you,” someone needs to shove a mirror in front of their faces. The shame is on Kirsch, personally, and the
PFT, collectively.
Before the announcement of the Monday morning agreement, the mayor told the
PFT, in no uncertain terms, “This is the last best offer, folks. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand there’s no more money.”
When all is said and done, the teachers went on strike for their benefit, with lack of regard for the students. The best interests, which the PFT claims to champion for, are not the issue for either the teachers or the
PFT.
Yep, it all comes down to one thing. It’s all about the best interests of the teachers, stupid.
After following the events that have led up to this strike, including listening to the PFT members, and its president chant, “Shame on you!” to the school board, I think the sentence needs to be reworked. Maybe that sentence should be corrected to read: “It’s all about the best interests of the stupid teachers.”
Repeat after me: “Shame on you, PFT! Shame on you!”
|
"Getting
Down to Brass Tacks: The Focu$ of Teacher$"
