On the Front Lines

Unlike Nevada, where public employees are NOT allowed to strike and therefore the unions are totally worthless, Eagle Point, Oregon, teachers have decided to strike.

Scabs, also called "substitute teachers," will be encourage to cross the picket lines:

District officials said they were disappointed by the union's decision because they felt the two parties had made progress toward a settlement in recent days.

"If the union does strike, we want the community to know that we will bring in qualified substitutes to keeps the schools open so our seniors can graduate," said Eagle Point schools Superintendent Cynda Rickert. "We are not going to turn our backs on students."

About 80 percent of employees voted in favor of the strike. Employees also formally rejected the district's initial offer Tuesday for a three-year contract, which included a 2-percent retroactive cost-of-living pay increase for 2008-09 but no cost-of-living increase in the subsequent two years.