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Chester County Press

Union rejection syndrome

03/05/2014 03:53PM ● By Acl

By Uncle Irvin


Unions all across the United States are being rejected by savvy, well-paid workers.

The latest defeat was a UAW organizing effort that recently failed at a Volkswagen plant. It appears that all U.S. unions, particularly the AFL/CIO, are losing ground with workers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, unions represent only 11.3 percent of U.S. workers. The private sector membership rate is only 6.7 percent, compared with 35 percent in the public sector, and that is the problem. Unlike private sector unions, public unions are strangling the life out of all taxpayers.

In Pennsylvania, the worst offender is the NEA/PSEA, which represents public school teachers. The PSEA union is particularly adept at bludgeoning wage, benefits, and pension increases from spineless school boards, causing property taxes to rise at least 2 percent every year.

The PSEA in Pennsylvania has also compromised our legislators and governors, using political pressure and campaign contributions to “buy” a majority and scare the rest. Almost as bad as overpaying public school teachers is continuing to accept teacher tenure and not mandating merit pay, as well as disallowing the PSEA to force school districts to deduct union dues from teachers who don’t want to join the union.

Merit pay is the cornerstone of the U.S. economic system and it is counterproductive to reward unproductive teachers the same as their productive peers. 

In order for public schools to promote only literate students, ineffective school teachers must be fired -- just like you or me if we don't perform.

And if we do, we're worth more money!