CTU is Going on Strike

[Balta1701]

Weren't you the one just saying that they won't hire people with Masters Degrees?

Was I? Doesnt ring a bell, any extra context?

[Balta1701]

The starting salary for a teacher in Chicago is the median salary for a household in the United States. Right out of college, that is pretty good money.

 

$74k a year is about the 80th percentile of income for a household in the US.

$74k in Chicago cost of living adjusts to $57 k in Knoxville, while I'm at it.

 

The median salary in a city ought to be substantially higher than the median salary nationwide.

[Jenksismyhero]

It's pretty good money but it's not really that much. If they're really living in nice lp apartments and buying s bunch of crap at the mall all the time, they're living paycheck to paycheck. Let's not pretend that $45k-$50k or what ever the exact amount is is some high livin'

 

Lol, what the hell does this even mean? If they waste their money on luxuries that's a justification for them needing more?

 

And BTW, 45-50k is the same median salary as an attorney in Chicago who comes out of grad/professional level schooling with twice the amount of debt, zero pension, healthcare and all that jazz. So f*** these teachers. Can them all tomorrow and start new. The results couldn't possibly be an worse than CPS now.

[mr_genius]

Could you also live near your actual place of work on that salary?

 

he can easily live in Chicago on 75k a year.

[StrangeSox]

Lol, what the hell does this even mean? If they waste their money on luxuries that's a justification for them needing more?

 

And BTW, 45-50k is the same median salary as an attorney in Chicago who comes out of grad/professional level schooling with twice the amount of debt, zero pension, healthcare and all that jazz. So f*** these teachers. Can them all tomorrow and start new. The results couldn't possibly be an worse than CPS now.

No, that wasn't what i was saying.

[flippedoutpunk]

he can easily live in Chicago on 75k a year.

 

Shoot ive been doing it on 15k a year while being a broke student since ive been out of the Army. 75k a year and i would feel like this

 

[mr_genius]

$74k in Chicago cost of living adjusts to $57 k in Knoxville, while I'm at it.

 

The median salary in a city ought to be substantially higher than the median salary nationwide.

 

https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts...meamichart.html

 

74K is pretty good. 2 teachers in the same family are basically the wealthy elite

[kev211]

Some things I am going to add here as a teacher(who doesn't work for CPS or make anything close to what CPS teachers make):

 

To the people saying these evil teachers are walking out on their students that they should be caring about. First, the strike is more about classroom conditions, resource people(nurses, counselors), smaller classroom sizes, and how they're evaluated. Of those things three of them directly effect the students.

 

So the CTU is heartless because they want children in rooms that have air conditioning? The high school I teach at does not have air conditioning and nothing gets done on days where its over 90 degrees. Not because I can't teach in it, I pull through and suck it up, but high school students just zone out and don't pay attention and I do not blame them one bit. There's about 1000 students for each counselor in the CTU that is absolutely ridiculous as how much time and effort can they spend on the students who really need it? And class sizes that rival 50 students is ridiculous, the smaller the class the better the learning that happens end of story.

 

But the CTU is evil cause they want more money. GMAFB they're striking because they want these things for their students. The money is already largely decided.

 

To the people talking about how teachers should suck it up like everyone in the private sector. To that I say instead of hating on teaching unions and saying if I can't have one why should you, why don't you question "Why can't I have a union?"

 

All of this being said as a teacher in a teachers union I would absolutely never vote to strike. There are countless student's that are absolutely being screwed academically and my number 1 priority as a teacher is my students.

Edited September 12, 2012 by kev211

[mr_genius]

From what I heard the teachers are now demanding a 20% increase. So, that will put the average close to 90k a year? Also, they don't want to be evaluated in any rational way, and they don't want to ever be able to be fired, no matter how bad they are at their jobs. The strike has nothing to do with kids, it has everything to do with greedy adults trying to soak the rest of the city because they think they have a desperate hostage on their hands.

Edited September 12, 2012 by mr_genius

[Y2HH]

Some things I am going to add here as a teacher(who doesn't work for CPS or make anything close to what CPS teachers make):

 

To the people saying these evil teachers are walking out on their students that they should be caring about. First, the strike is more about classroom conditions, resource people(nurses, counselors), smaller classroom sizes, and how they're evaluated. Of those things three of them directly effect the students.

 

So the CTU is heartless because they want children in rooms that have air conditioning? The high school I teach at does not have air conditioning and nothing gets done on days where its over 90 degrees. Not because I can't teach in it, I pull through and suck it up, but high school students just zone out and don't pay attention and I do not blame them one bit. There's about 1000 students for each counselor in the CTU that is absolutely ridiculous as how much time and effort can they spend on the students who really need it? And class sizes that rival 50 students is ridiculous, the smaller the class the better the learning that happens end of story.

 

But the CTU is evil cause they want more money. GMAFB they're striking because they want these things for their students. The money is already largely decided.

 

To the people talking about how teachers should suck it up like everyone in the private sector. To that I say instead of hating on teaching unions and saying if I can't have one why should you, why don't you question "Why can't I have a union?"

 

All of this being said as a teacher in a teachers union I would absolutely never vote to strike. There are countless student's that are absolutely being screwed academically and my number 1 priority as a teacher is my students.

 

I dont want a union, so why would I ask why can't I have a union?

 

Unions breed laziness because your raises are based on collective bargaining, not personal merit. They also protect worthless employees instead of just the good ones. There was once a great need for unions before workers had rights...today they're a corrupted version of what they were meant to be.

 

So I repeat...why would I ask to be a part of that? No thanks.

[southsider2k5]

It's pretty good money but it's not really that much. If they're really living in nice lp apartments and buying s bunch of crap at the mall all the time, they're living paycheck to paycheck. Let's not pretend that $45k-$50k or what ever the exact amount is is some high livin'

 

For a first year student out of college, that is pretty good money on average.

[southsider2k5]

Was I? Doesnt ring a bell, any extra context?

 

IT was in here somewhere. Must have been someone else.

[StrangeSox]

For a first year student out of college, that is pretty good money on average.

I don't disagree, but it's not the high life.

[StrangeSox]

IT was in here somewhere. Must have been someone else.

I said my wife specifically did not go for her masters

[ptatc]

I dont want a union, so why would I ask why can't I have a union?

 

Unions breed laziness because your raises are based on collective bargaining, not personal merit. They also protect worthless employees instead of just the good ones. There was once a great need for unions before workers had rights...today they're a corrupted version of what they were meant to be.

 

So I repeat...why would I ask to be a part of that? No thanks.

This is totally true especially in teacher's unions. Some raises may be negotiated but most are performance based. For example the attainment of a degree. The only raises I've gotten in the last 5 years, prior to this year, was being granted tenure and being elevated to Associate professor. This took 6 years of research, presentations and publication as well service to the community to achieve. Who else needs to provide pro bono service outside of their job to earn raises.

 

I don't agree with everything the unions do but they do not all breed laziness and do promote personal merit.

[Balta1701]

From what I heard the teachers are now demanding a 20% increase. So, that will put the average close to 90k a year? Also, they don't want to be evaluated in any rational way, and they don't want to ever be able to be fired, no matter how bad they are at their jobs. The strike has nothing to do with kids, it has everything to do with greedy adults trying to soak the rest of the city because they think they have a desperate hostage on their hands.

All your numbers are incorrect.

[Cknolls]

Heard Paul Vallas on Roe and Roper on drive home and he said even if strike ends today, next year CPS is 1 billion in the hole. If true, how in God's green earth can the city afford that outside of pulling a Pat Quinn/Blago and sell bonds to finance the operating budget? Next year should be interesting.

[ptatc]

From what I heard the teachers are now demanding a 20% increase. So, that will put the average close to 90k a year? Also, they don't want to be evaluated in any rational way, and they don't want to ever be able to be fired, no matter how bad they are at their jobs. The strike has nothing to do with kids, it has everything to do with greedy adults trying to soak the rest of the city because they think they have a desperate hostage on their hands.

This is totally inaccurate. They just want a say in how they are evaluated so a principal isn't the only person who determines if they are an effective teacher. The current system allows a principal to unilaterally say you are ineffective and I can fire you. There is not an acceptable grievance procedure for a teacher to appeal the decision.

[kev211]

From what I heard the teachers are now demanding a 20% increase. So, that will put the average close to 90k a year? Also, they don't want to be evaluated in any rational way, and they don't want to ever be able to be fired, no matter how bad they are at their jobs. The strike has nothing to do with kids, it has everything to do with greedy adults trying to soak the rest of the city because they think they have a desperate hostage on their hands.

If you believe this. Then I can totally understand why you think what you think. But nothing in this is true.

[mr_genius]

This is totally inaccurate. They just want a say in how they are evaluated so a principal isn't the only person who determines if they are an effective teacher. The current system allows a principal to unilaterally say you are ineffective and I can fire you. There is not an acceptable grievance procedure for a teacher to appeal the decision.

 

not buying it.

[southsideirish71]

It is still a hell of a lot harder to fire a teacher than it is to fire a normal person in the private sector. Illinois is an at will work state. Do you know how they fire you in the private sector. You get called into a meeting usually with HR, you are given some papers to sign and then you are gone. As long as its not for sexual orientation, age, or gender discrimination you are pretty much good to go. You can fire people for just about anything. And they don't have any appeals process.

 

 

 

[mr_genius]

Heard Paul Vallas on Roe and Roper on drive home and he said even if strike ends today, next year CPS is 1 billion in the hole. If true, how in God's green earth can the city afford that outside of pulling a Pat Quinn/Blago and sell bonds to finance the operating budget? Next year should be interesting.

 

the teachers are totally out of touch with reality. the wealthy entitlement class looking down at the masses, "let them eat cake".

 

[flippedoutpunk]

I have no clue what goes on inside these unions, are these teachers getting paid while being on strike?

[Balta1701]

I have no clue what goes on inside these unions, are these teachers getting paid while being on strike?

No.

[ptatc]

not buying it.

You're wrong and if you were informed you would know this.

 

Did you know that the 16% (not 20%) increase is mostly benefits and not salary? The 90k number you came up with is if it's all salary.