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Senate Bill 5 Targets Collective Bargaining for Elimination!

  • coach_bob1
    CenterBHSFan;680732 wrote:
    Another question that's been asked COUNTLESS times on this thread and yet never really answer:

    What is so special about public employees that warrants them to get a buffer from the realities of economics that other groups of people don't get?

    State employees started taking pay freezes in 2004, which was before the economy took a turn for the worse. They don't get a buffer. Most of the public is just unaware of what has been done so far, such as 15 manadatory furlough days a year over the past 2 years, resulting in the loss of one months pay over that timespan.
  • bonelizzard
    sleeper;680699 wrote:Chill out bro. It was a joke, ever heard of one?

    Now to your questions, I'd like to see the apparent(and obviously) spoiled public employees lose the benefits the private sector does not get. Welcome to reality, you do not deserve the current benefits you are getting. .
    Yea, I've heard of jokes and I'm a pretty funny person. Ok so teaching does have some perks, I get it... I don't and won't make the kind of $ that someone in the corporate world does or would. I chose my profession, and you could have too if you wanted, for summers off and yes the benefits and retirement. Have you heard about the cut in STRS that is now affecting teachers? Down from 83% and 35 years of your 3 highest salary years to 77% and 35 years of your best 5. Oops one of those perks just got hit hard that you were talking about..
  • O-Trap
    coach_bob1;680744 wrote:State employees started taking pay freezes in 2004, which was before the economy took a turn for the worse. They don't get a buffer. Most of the public is just unaware of what has been done so far, such as 15 manadatory furlough days a year over the past 2 years, resulting in the loss of one months pay over that timespan.

    Quite honestly, that's still not bad, and I'd take it in a heartbeat. The pay at the job I just got (after having been laid off for 13 months I might add) took an 11% paycut already this year, so we're losing more than a month's pay every year now. Our benefits are already through the roof, and have been for years. Pension? What's that?
  • Manhattan Buckeye
    'Have you heard about the cut in STRS that is now affecting teachers? Down from 83% and 35 years of your 3 highest salary years to 77% and 35 years of your best 5. Oops one of those perks just got hit hard that you were talking about.. "

    I nearly crapped myself. Do you have any idea how AWESOME that pension is even with the cut? People in the private sector would cut off an arm to get this - oh, and BTW it isn't close to being properly funded. Is it any wonder why our states are broke?
  • O-Trap
    Manhattan Buckeye;680779 wrote:'Have you heard about the cut in STRS that is now affecting teachers? Down from 83% and 35 years of your 3 highest salary years to 77% and 35 years of your best 5. Oops one of those perks just got hit hard that you were talking about.. "

    I nearly crapped myself. Do you have any idea how AWESOME that pension is even with the cut? People in the private sector would cut off an arm to get this - oh, and BTW it isn't close to being properly funded. Is it any wonder why our states are broke?
    If I said I'd cut off my own toe for a pension like that, people would think I was joking.

    Hell, I'll nut if I end up with ANY pension or Social Security.
  • bonelizzard
    I nearly crapped myself. Do you have any idea how AWESOME that pension is even with the cut? People in the private sector would cut off an arm to get this - oh, and BTW it isn't close to being properly funded. Is it any wonder why our states are broke?[/QUOTE wrote:
    well Manhattan, I'll never make the 6 figures that you make. You could have chosen my profession as well if you wanted. Kids, "students" are our future. What value do we place in teachers to teach them? Is teaching kids as important as say treating a colds like a DR.? I think so..

    The benefits from teaching in Ohio, today anyway, is one of the main reasons why teachers choose this profession. It's as if we are constantly working now so that we can retire well. For the future. As mentioned before, I'll never make the salary that you make being a teacher.
  • Manhattan Buckeye
    "well Manhattan, I'll never make the 6 figures that you make."

    And I'll never have a $1M+ actuarial valued pension. Hell I'll be lucky to have saved $1M+ to buy an annuity at age 57 (the age I could retire if I was a teacher) to insure any sort of comfortable return.

    I'm not denigrating your profession, hell my father is a retired teacher (and certainly enjoys his $1M pension), but you can't gripe about the pay - it is very, very good...particularly when the people supporting it with tax dollars are hurting.
  • O-Trap
    bonelizzard;680795 wrote:well Manhattan, I'll never make the 6 figures that you make.
    ?!?!?!?! Do you know something about Manhattan that the rest of us don't?

    MOST people in the private sector will not make a six-figure yearly salary in their career!
    bonelizzard;680795 wrote:You could have chosen my profession as well if you wanted.
    Nah, I disagree with too much in the way schools and the educational process is run, so in good conscience, I couldn't do it.
    bonelizzard;680795 wrote:Kids, "students" are our future. What value do we place in teachers to teach them?
    We place the value in the teacher that the teacher has earned. Can't look at the whole of "teachers" as a single unit, because there are some who deserve better pay even than they get, and others who do less work than minimum wage employees.
    bonelizzard;680795 wrote:Is teaching kids as important as say treating a colds like a DR.? I think so..

    The benefits from teaching in Ohio, today anyway, is one of the main reasons why teachers choose this profession. It's as if we are constantly working now so that we can retire well. For the future. As mentioned before, I'll never make the salary that you make being a teacher.

    I've seen the salaries of teachers that have been around awhile (available as a matter of public record). When that is coupled WITH the cost of the benefits that teachers get, it comes out as MUCH better than a good chunk (I'd bet over 50%) of the employees in the private sector.
  • Bigdogg
    To think that market forces apply in public sector jobs is simply naive. I remember when my dad took a second job when I was just a little boy to pay for the hospital bill from my brother's ruptured appendix. This was before companies offered health insurance, but that's a separate story. He worked for the state highway department plowing roads. He worked his main job the first shift then for the highway department the second shift. He did this for two years until a new Republican governor got elected. Every Democrat lost his job at the highway department after the election. Do we really want to go back to that?
  • bonelizzard
    Manhattan Buckeye;680805 wrote: And I'll never have a $1M+ actuarial valued pension. .
    nor will I..
  • O-Trap
    Bigdogg;680862 wrote:To think that market forces apply in public sector jobs is simply naive. I remember when my dad took a second job when I was just a little boy to pay for the hospital bill from my brother's ruptured appendix. This was before companies offered health insurance, but that's a separate story. He worked for the state highway department plowing roads. He worked his main job the first shift then for the highway department the second shift. He did this for two years until a new Republican governor got elected. Every Democrat lost his job at the highway department after the election. Do we really want to go back to that?

    I'm not sure what you mean by this. Maybe it's just not registering quite right.

    Would you mind clarifying the connection between the political prejudice your father saw and the current discussion?

    It's been a long day. ;)
  • coach_bob1
    O-Trap;680876 wrote:I'm not sure what you mean by this. Maybe it's just not registering quite right.

    Would you mind clarifying the connection between the political prejudice your father saw and the current discussion?

    It's been a long day. ;)

    Elimination of collective bargaining allows public employees to be hired or fired at will. It makes essentially every position an appointed position that can be lost when there is an administration change.
  • Manhattan Buckeye
    coach_bob1;680890 wrote:Elimination of collective bargaining allows public employees to be hired or fired at will. It makes essentially every position an appointed position that can be lost when there is an administration change.

    You mean how like the rest of us work? How do you think the folks at Borders that are going to lose their jobs with their restructuring feel about their situation?
  • ernest_t_bass
    Manhattan Buckeye;680892 wrote:You mean how like the rest of us work? How do you think the folks at Borders that are going to lose their jobs with their restructuring feel about their situation?

    I feel bad for them. However, does one need a specialized degree to work at Borders? Do the people who work at Borders have more options (given their degree) as far as places to work?

    When dealing with some of the public sector positions, you will be dealing with limited markets for employment, so long as we are talking about staying within those markets to seek employment.
  • coach_bob1
    Manhattan Buckeye;680892 wrote:You mean how like the rest of us work? How do you think the folks at Borders that are going to lose their jobs with their restructuring feel about their situation?

    Apparently you forget that I work in the private sector. I am part of us. I'm sure that the people at Borders are upset, but that is the fault of corporate management and is not a result of collective bargaining.
  • O-Trap
    coach_bob1;680890 wrote:Elimination of collective bargaining allows public employees to be hired or fired at will. It makes essentially every position an appointed position that can be lost when there is an administration change.
    Precisely how the private sector works ... so again, what's the problem?
    ernest_t_bass;680899 wrote:I feel bad for them. However, does one need a specialized degree to work at Borders? Do the people who work at Borders have more options (given their degree) as far as places to work?

    When dealing with some of the public sector positions, you will be dealing with limited markets for employment, so long as we are talking about staying within those markets to seek employment.

    No, but there are a LOT of private sector markets that DO require specialized education: Law, IT, Medical, Research, Veterinary, etc.

    Again, they're still at-will employment.
  • Manhattan Buckeye
    'I'm sure that the people at Borders are upset, but that is the fault of corporate management and is not a result of collective bargaining. "

    What was corporate management supposed to do? Force customers to keep buying books when e-readers are taking over? It doesn't matter if they are union or non-union, when the money stops coming in people will have to take cuts - NO ONE IS IMMUNE, NOT EVEN PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. When tax dollars aren't coming in like they were a few years ago public employees will have to take a hit. It isn't political, it is fact. We are running deficits and our government coffers are broke. We can't just pretend that public employees have guaranteed jobs for life and the money will always be there, history has shown that it isn't the case.
  • ernest_t_bass
    O-Trap;680905 wrote:Again, they're still at-will employment.

    Your mom was at my will last night! OH!
  • ernest_t_bass
    Manhattan Buckeye;680908 wrote: It doesn't matter if they are union or non-union, when the money stops coming in people will have to take cuts - NO ONE IS IMMUNE, NOT EVEN PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.

    I understand and agree with cuts. I just don't like the fact that our bargaining power is being taken away.
  • O-Trap
    ernest_t_bass;680915 wrote:Your mom was at my will last night! OH!

    Yeah, I heard she came and whipped your ass for hitting on my dad.
  • O-Trap
    ernest_t_bass;680917 wrote:I understand and agree with cuts. I just don't like the fact that our bargaining power is being taken away.

    Yours isn't. Neither is anyone else's. You would still be able to negotiate your value to the administration.
  • ernest_t_bass
    O-Trap;680918 wrote:Yeah, I heard she came and whipped your ass for hitting on my dad.

  • coach_bob1
    Manhattan Buckeye;680908 wrote:'I'm sure that the people at Borders are upset, but that is the fault of corporate management and is not a result of collective bargaining. "

    What was corporate management supposed to do? Force customers to keep buying books when e-readers are taking over? It doesn't matter if they are union or non-union, when the money stops coming in people will have to take cuts - NO ONE IS IMMUNE, NOT EVEN PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. When tax dollars aren't coming in like they were a few years ago public employees will have to take a hit. It isn't political, it is fact. We are running deficits and our government coffers are broke. We can't just pretend that public employees have guaranteed jobs for life and the money will always be there, history has shown that it isn't the case.

    So the solution is to sieze money that these employees have set aside for the future and tell them that it now belongs to the state. Sounds sorta like robbery.
  • sleeper
    coach_bob1;680733 wrote:It's good to know that you hope for the passage of a bill that does ill will on my family. My wife is one of the state employees affected by this bill. She is not part of the union, but does pay what is known as "fair share". Her job does not exist in the private sector and her job is not funded by state taxes. If this bill passes, our healthcare costs would quadruple while my wife would receive a 20% paycut and lose sick time and vacation time and her pension. My wife has been at her job for 10 years and still makes less than I do (I am a server, so I don't make that much.) Those of you who think this is a black and white issue about unions are forgetting the people that will be affected.
    Isn't this a good thing? You're wife can choose to be a server then, since you make more money.

    I love how free markets work, don't you?
  • Manhattan Buckeye
    coach_bob1;680925 wrote:So the solution is to sieze money that these employees have set aside for the future and tell them that it now belongs to the state. Sounds sorta like robbery.

    What money did they set aside? Again, these pensions aren't funded properly. We're entering into a new reality, the word "pension" won't even be in the dictionary 50 years from now, neither will "retirement."

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/business/27pension.html

    It isn't clear to me that raising taxpayers' tax rates to fill the void is any less "robbery" than what you describe.