The beauty and the beast. All you kiddies out there, listen up! Here’s a real monster story.
The Taylor Law – the Beauty.
This legislation has been much lauded and numerous states have adopted a similar version. It prohibits strikes and disruptions, it requires collective bargaining in good faith; if an impasse is reached it goes to arbitration and decision of which each side must accept.
A new contract is in place when the old one expires. It is a democratic process.
The Triborough Amendment – The Beast.
The Beast widely considered to be very, unjust. No other state is known to have anything like it. It is considered to be a dirty little secret in collective bargaining. The result is that if a new agreement can’t be reached, the old contract remains in place that already has the undesirable elements such as automatic pay raises. The results in a school board being helpless to negotiate on behalf of the people of the school district (the actual employer) and the People are actually defrauded of a democratic process as had been the case for many years.
It is widely recommended that the Triborough Amendment be abolished. Gov. Cuomo and others want it eliminated. The president of the New York State United Teachers Union, Richard Ianizzi and the teachers have vowed “to raise hell” to keep this from happening. Bully, bully.
I say bah humbug school teachers. Anyone who watches the news knows that nine out of 10 times a teacher is in the news it is either criminal, weird or pervy. Then there is the misconception that offering more money will recruit better teachers. This only attracts bad elements to profit from a situation where they can become entrenched and have automatic pay raises, whether they can teach or not. The fact is that the untouchable salaries are the cause of today’s problems – consolidation, tax caps and wrecking of communities.
Those who love to each see money as secondary. They are the good teachers and they know they will be sufficiently cared for in civil service. The others could well find that their actual skills would leave them wanting in the private sector.
It is the duty of government to protect the citizens from enemies foreign and domestic and bullies. If this Triborough Amendment is abolished there would be light at the end of the tunnel and sunshine too. It would bring the end of this tax cap crap, school consolidation and the destruction of communities.
There would be plenty of money and lower taxes or as Walmart puts it, a price roll back. Best of all after so long, The People would again have democracy and the freedom to work with the school boards as employers oppose to administration and teaches – employees.
It is somewhat of a trek up to Glen Cove and back under ideal circumstances. Imagine 36 buses. The would stretch from Willis Avenue to well across the Long Island Rail Road crossing. Add in the normal traffic and it would be chaos, really something to hate.
This has for so long been like a bad dream that just goes in circles with no way out. Best of all, it would be nice to live in a democracy again.
Charles Samek
Mineola
