The recent unrest in Wisconsin between the new uber-Conservative governor and the unions has caught the nation's attention. The Governor is refusing to bargain with the unions and has set that his plan is the only way that Wisconsin will be able to return to fiscal balance. The unions, after initially refusing to compromise, are now currently trying to reach out to the governor and reach some kind of deal. Protests have shut down sections of Madison, and in Milwaukee, schools had to shut down on Friday because so many teachers called in "sick" in protest.
These types of unions are "Public Unions", which negotiate their contracts with politicians, often the same politicians who just took a huge campaign donation from those unions while they were running for office. There is another kind of union, which is the type that you are probably a member of, unless you work for a government agency or a related field. These are called "Private Unions" and they deal with management in their company and have historically not come away with the lucrative deals that Public Unions have in the past. This recent article from the Washington Post talks about some of the other differences between the two, and the growing annoyance that Private Unions are beginning to develop towards Public ones.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-turn/2011/02/public_employee_unions_vs_the.html
I think it is horrible the way government and boards treat teachers. If the governor wants to save money- then lead by example and reduce your own darn salary. Reduce adminstration salary while you are at it. It makes me sick- teachers should be the highest paid profession....
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