It was NOT just for the money.

When it comes to competing for strong teachers, salary does make a difference.

“Cranky, i’m not questioning your motives, but even assuming most teachers in oakland teach because they’re “do gooders” how many of them wouldn’t switch to Berkeley if there were openings there?”

I’m not really sure I understand your point, Len.

In any case, Berkeley pays only slightly more than Oakland, has a similar demographic mix of students and a huge “achievement gap,” has serious administrative problems in several divisions (human resources, special ed) and rents are even higher there.

I can’t speak for other teachers, but I want to be right where I am, in Oakland — but I’d rather not feel like a sucker and accept whatever crumbs the anti-union Eli Broad-trained management team wants to give us after ten years of wage stagnancy.

Perhaps the confusion is this: Most of us LOVE our students in Oakland, even though they can sometimes be heartbreaking, challenging, etc.

I would do this job for LESS, and may have to if the sky-is-falling crowd are correct. Yet that doesn’t mean I have to stand quietly by while our society continues to give up on its committment to a fair and democratic society.

A strike is not good for students BUT A FAIR DEAL FOR TEACHERS IS.

Here’s how: Higher wages and benefits decrease turnover. Turnover of OUSD teachers has a direct link to student achievement, dropout rates and so on.

Lesser benefits: Improved morale leads to better teaching; teachers earning a living wage models for students that education pays; teachers standing up for themselves is a positive model for students in a democratic society.

This increase comes at a time when we teachers are told that we all have to do with less. OUSD teachers have been without a real raise in several years. Cost of Living Allowance monies that were approved by voters to go to teachers have not been used for that purpose

I have been with the District for 8 years. Teachers that have a longer tenure than I, have told me of giving up raises in order to keep other teachers on the payroll. OUSD teachers also gave up 3% several years ago to help the district pay down the debt that got us into this mess. (This 3% was only recovered after our agreeing to work an extra 3 ‘buy back’ days a year.) The State took over and put us deeper into debt.

We are all in a world of hurt. Teachers know that our current dilemma here in Oakland is also affected by the national economic downturn of the past two years. I would like to submit that while the country and the state have been in recession since December of 2007, OUSD teachers have been in ‘recession’ for the past 6-8 years. We are stretched beyond limit. We could also use an extra $450 a year. For many of us that would provide money at holiday time (just passed), help with a bill or two, or provide an extra ‘cushion’, or go to help pay increased property taxes. For the Board to give themselves a raise at this time is unconscionable.

We OUSD teachers have time and again shown our commitment to the children of Oakland and to Public Education. Does anyone really doubt why we voted to reject the District’s ‘last and best offer’?

Respectfully submitted,

Richard Thompson
OUSD Teacher

Nobody is worried that OUSD’s management is anyting like Ronald Reagan towards the air traffic controllers. The union has little to fear in the way of retaliation.

Workers of the state unite –

You are going to see lots of labor unrest in the future. That’s what happens when the government crashes the economy.

But overall, there are many Oakland SF jobs that pay surprisingly low wages, or wages out of proportion with the high cost of living here. The infamous Gov Jerry Brown line telling unhappy UC staff they should be happy to get “psychic” dollars has some truth in that historically people are willing to accept surprising low wages in exchange for the weather, culture etc. As rents and housing costs drop here, that might continue at least for intangible skill type people.

Part of getting “people [to] put their money on the line” is to let them know how bad the situation is here. This is about the students of Oakland, not the teachers who work here — most of whom work for less than they could make elsewhere because they are “do-gooders,” as you put it. We are saying, no the status quo is unacceptable — the money is here in this state, do the right thing.

The cuts in higher education are analogous: Students and allies aren’t protesting the recession, they’re saying the money is out there to keep our college system accessible to the poor and WE MUST come up with the money somehow.

California is definitely not broke, by the way — our state government has a deficit between revenue and expenditures. If I lived in the 98% of the world that is poorer than California’s average income-taxpayer I’d be pretty insulted to hear us whine so much.

Californians are getting what they do or don’t pay for — we pay state income taxes because once upon a time our goal was to be the best damn state with the best damn public schools, the best roads, the best hospitals and mental health care facilities. Starting with Gov. Reagan and continuing with Prop.13, that dream was abandoned, in favor of the rich barricading themselves behind gates and letting everybody else fend for themselves.

We sow what we reap.

BTW, most teachers work most or all of the summer. The landlord still wants the rent money in August, and PG&E still charges for electricity in July, lol.