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Thread: Will NYS teachers give up their raises?

  1. #1
    Member knowsitall's Avatar
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    Will NYS teachers give up their raises?

    Say what you want about Same Hoyt, he's suggested that NYS teachers give up their "step" raises for next year to help deal with the budget crisis. He says it will save ONE BILLION dollars. In raises alone. I think the response from their union leader says volumes:


    You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, as they used to say in the days before the invention of Raid’s Flying Insect Killer. A letter from Assembly members Sam Hoyt, Ginny Fields and Michael Benjamin to NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi takes the honey approach to deficit closure by heaping praise on New York’s teachers while at the same time noting that they are among the highest-paid in the nation, and asking them to consider foregoing this year’s planned raises in order to lighten the effect of potential budget cuts on their schools and students.

    The letter, dated today, asks the union and its local affiliates to “assist school districts in meeting their funding challenges by considering the voluntary postponement of scheduled base and step pay increases for the 2010-11 budget year. We estimate that this action would save our school districts a total of just over $1 billion, thereby nearly canceling the worst impact of the proposed budget cuts.”

    ” … We hope that you will consider this suggestion in the spirit in which it is offered, a spirit of cooperation and sincere admiration. We realize that this would be an unprecedented step for your organization to take, but these are unprecedented challenges we face. We are confident that such a sacrifice by NYSUT would win the lasting respect and appreciation of all New Yorkers and teach a lesson that will not be lost on the next generation.”

    In a phone interview, Iannuzzi began by noting that NYSUT has no blanket power over the contracts negotiated by its member units. His main point, though, was that teachers around the state have already been taking hits of a non-financial kind.

    “The letter misstates or at the very least understates that sacrifices that teachers have made,” Iannuzzi said. “More than 5,000 positions have been eliminated last year; we anticipate thousands more will be eliminated this year.”

    Iannuzzi said the state still hasn’t been looking seriously at “revenue-side sacrifices.” He singled out the Senate’s “unconscionable” unwillingness to go along with Gov. David Paterson’s plan to limit the personal income tax STAR benefit to the first $250,000 of income.

    “What we have is a lot of conversation about working people making sacrifices,” he said, “and not a lot of talk about asking people who are doing well in this economy to make their sacrifices.”

    The letter cites a report from the state School Board Association that finds that last year’s average base and step increase for teachers outside of New York City was 5.6 percent. Iannuzzi takes issue with that number.
    Fully stimulated...

  2. #2
    Member CSense's Avatar
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    It will be a cold day in hell, when Phil "I'd sell my mother for a buck" Rumore would give anything away. He would rather skin your children alive.

    I have $500 that says Phill will offer that they "delay" the step rather than forego, that way they can get multiple steps in the successive year.

  3. #3
    Member Bannister's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CSense View Post
    It will be a cold day in hell, when Phil "I'd sell my mother for a buck" Rumore would give anything away. He would rather skin your children alive.

    I have $500 that says Phill will offer that they "delay" the step rather than forego, that way they can get multiple steps in the successive year.
    Buffalo teachers are already working three steps below where our contract says we're supposed to be. A teacher with 16 years of experience is only on step 13.
    1 Corinthians 13:1 "If I speak in the languages of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."

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    Bflo teachers would have to be crazy

    To agree to that. The way they have been treated by this City and control board. The two entities have cost the teachers union thousands of dollars. Denying them raises as well as their health care situation. Maybe all the other teachers across the state could delay the raise, but not Bflo, no way.

  5. #5
    Member leftWNYbecauseofBS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bannister View Post
    Buffalo teachers are already working three steps below where our contract says we're supposed to be. A teacher with 16 years of experience is only on step 13.

    You do realize that you are complaining about teachers who have gotten a raise 13 out of 16 years right? At a time when the community you serve is one of the poorest in the nation and your product...well we should just say your product is not the greatest.

    The lack of perspective from you people is astounding.

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    Maybe its time the state change the laws and start forcing th cities to start paying for their own school budgets! That alone would save the state 7 Billion a year!
    "I know you guys enjoy reading my stuff because it all makes sense. "

    Dumbest post ever! Thanks for the laugh PO!

  7. #7
    Member 300miles's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bannister View Post
    Buffalo teachers are already working three steps below where our contract says we're supposed to be. A teacher with 16 years of experience is only on step 13.
    I understand the concern, but at some point everyone has to realize that the the money does not exist. It just isn't there. We're running deficits every year. We had two recessions this decade. And our tax base is continuing to decline.

    If everyone around you in the private sector is either getting layed off or having their salaries cut, or not receiving raises for several years, all while having to support a huge public employee burden... to tell them their taxes are going up even more so that teachers can receive their yearly wage increases is frankly like spitting in their face. A 5% raise for 2009 shocks me. Most people were grateful to be employed even with salary cuts.

    I'm not singling out teachers... it's everyone that gets a paycheck from Albany or Erie County or the Cities and Towns. People need to wake up to reality that the state is going bankrupt.

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    So maybe Sam Hoyt should start leading the way and not take a pay increase, nor should any of his staffers.

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    Quote Originally Posted by OutsidetheBox View Post
    So maybe Sam Hoyt should start leading the way and not take a pay increase, nor should any of his staffers.
    Sam is not particularly competent, witness his bogus and counterproductive historic tax credit legislation that he originally touted as the salvation of Buffalo. But at least he hasn't raised his salary in the last 10 years.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by 300miles View Post
    I understand the concern, but at some point everyone has to realize that the the money does not exist. It just isn't there. We're running deficits every year. We had two recessions this decade. And our tax base is continuing to decline.

    If everyone around you in the private sector is either getting layed off or having their salaries cut, or not receiving raises for several years, all while having to support a huge public employee burden... to tell them their taxes are going up even more so that teachers can receive their yearly wage increases is frankly like spitting in their face. A 5% raise for 2009 shocks me. Most people were grateful to be employed even with salary cuts.

    I'm not singling out teachers... it's everyone that gets a paycheck from Albany or Erie County or the Cities and Towns. People need to wake up to reality that the state is going bankrupt.
    are we related?

  11. #11
    Member Linda_D's Avatar
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    Will the governor cut 20% of his political appointees?

    Will the NYS Assembly and the NYS Senate cut 20% of their appointee staffs?

    Will the Assembly and Senate forego raises, stipends, and travel allowances?

    When Hoyt gets this stuff done, then he can ask the people in the trenches to forego raises.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by grump View Post
    Sam is not particularly competent, witness his bogus and counterproductive historic tax credit legislation that he originally touted as the salvation of Buffalo. But at least he hasn't raised his salary in the last 10 years.
    Give me one competent politician. Anyone?

    Maybe it is time we should be done with "politicians"

  13. #13
    Member buffy's Avatar
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    Who gets 'step raises" who is not a public employee? Anyone?

    Maybe it is time to be done with unions.

  14. #14
    Member NBuffaloResident's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by buffy View Post
    Who gets 'step raises" who is not a public employee? Anyone?

    Maybe it is time to be done with unions.
    I call that a good start.
    Raptor Jesus: He went extinct for your sins.

  15. #15
    Member leftWNYbecauseofBS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Linda_D View Post
    Will the governor cut 20% of his political appointees?

    Will the NYS Assembly and the NYS Senate cut 20% of their appointee staffs?

    Will the Assembly and Senate forego raises, stipends, and travel allowances?

    When Hoyt gets this stuff done, then he can ask the people in the trenches to forego raises.

    You make a great point.

    If the NYSTU came out and said....we will take a 20% cut provided the above items are ALSO done...that would really make some progress.

    The challenge is both the NYSTU or the Governors office, Assembly and Senate have little interest in actually making things right. They simply want to find a way to keep their slice of the pie and produce 'savings' at the expense of another group.

    If only one group had the courage to say...we will if you do!

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