He may talk a good line, but it will be his actions that will tell all.
Meanwhile in Detroit, the union there has predictably sold its teachers down the river:
The agreement includes projected savings for the school district of $30-$40 million over three years. The $28 million reduction in health care costs includes the elimination of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield health care plan. Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb had previously stated that the aim of the district was to squeeze $45 million in concessions from teachers over five years.
Wages for teachers will be frozen for two years, with a one-percent increase in the third year of the deal. With rising prices, this amounts to a significant cut in real income. The contract also includes sweeping change pushed by the Obama administration to tie teacher pay to evaluations and “performance” (merit pay).
According to the Detroit News, in a separate measure, the DFT has agreed to “a $250 deduction from [teachers’] paychecks, or $500 a month,” under the so-called Termination Incentive Plan, and the placement of this money in a separate account. The collected sums would only be returned to the teachers when they leave the district. This will allow the district to delay payment on taxes for the deducted sums.
In effect, this is a massive pay cut in terms of what teachers will take home each week. It would have the added intended consequence of forcing many teachers to retire early.
A DEMOCRATIC governor thinks this is all hunky-dory.
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