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More Layoffs, Fewer Hours on the Job and Teachers Forced to Take Second Jobs |
Stuff happens. And lots of stuff happens without the mainstream media picking it up or putting it together in a way that shows the broader picture of what’s going on.
Here are a few items of note today:
- Word is out that AT&T plans to cut about 4,600 jobs across the country to “streamline” operations, while Citigroup announced it will cut 9,000 jobs over the next 12 months, after losing $5.1 billion in the first quarter of 2008. In the past 12 months, 1 million workers have been added to the jobless rolls and some 3 million are expected to exhaust their unemployment insurance (UI) benefits before finding work in 2008. The AFL-CIO has been pushing hard for Congress to extend UI benefits beyond the current 26 weeks as part of a stimulus package to address growing joblessness and a nose-diving economy. Bush says he will veto such a bill.
- More than 25 percent of all Texas teachers must have a second job to pay their bills and survive—not to mention that 44 percent of them are seriously considering another profession, according to a new survey by the Texas State Teachers Association. Thanks to Vince over at Capitol Annex for this info. Maybe high-paid PR smear consultant Richard Berman, who spends big bucks trashing teachers, should try to make a living teaching kids in Texas, instead.
- Unemployment, bad as it is and worse as it’s getting, is only part of the jobs crisis facing working people. More people report they are working part-time even though they want full-time employment. The number of workers in involuntary part-time positions has increased sharply since November 2007 and is up by more than 600,000 since early 2007, according to a report by the Center for Law and Social Policy.
- The gap between the nation’s richest and the rest of us is the worst it’s been since 1928, at the peak of the stock market bubble (and we know what happened after that), according to data released last week in the annual AFL-CIO Executive PayWatch report. CEOs of large U.S. companies averaged $10.8 million in total compensation in 2006, more than 364 times the pay of the average U.S. worker, according to the latest survey by United for a Fair Economy. PayWatch also makes the connection between egregious CEO pay and the economic disaster most of us are experiencing.
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As a former Factory Worker and Current Teacher I am glad to see the AFL-CIO address the question of Teachers pay and Unemployment benefits.
It is getting tough for Teachers all over the Country. Many are seeking part-time work to help out. This is a disgrace .
For the last 30 years since the Reagan reationary movement, the conservatives have been erroding our committment to Free Quality Public Education for all. It is high time to reverse this trend and fully fund Free Quality Public education for all.
The Federal government as well as the States should do more to help fund schools in poor districts throughout our nation by providing greater funding for resources and to attract and retain Certified Teachers to serve in these underserved communities.
When NYS Gov. Patterson was in the State House, he proposed granting Unemployment for Teachers during the Summer Break. This is a good idea and I hope he impliments this now that he is Gov of NY.
However the long term solution to this problem is higher pay for Teachers across the board in every district, City or State.
Many multi-millionaires are dissatisfied. The reason they are disgruntled is because they want to become billionaires too! In order for this to happen, many working class people will have to join the ranks of the working poor.
A perfect example of this is American Axle Mfg. represented by the UAW. With the cost of everything around us going through the roof, the company isn’t asking for a pay freeze temporarily, they have the audacity to propose an outrageous 50% #@* pay cut!
Could you imagine a police officer or nurse making $50,000 working for $24,000? Would you imagine an executive making $80,000 taking a pay cut to $40,000? But somehow it’s O.K. to attack the middle class union worker- NOT!
Remember some of these insane proposals in November during the presidential election.
Remember your company and your job with benefits are probably next!
my brother and his wife are both teachers. He maintains a 2nd job at a factory and coaches wrestling and track for extra income.
So, yeah, not only does my brother have to do this after obtaining a Master’s Degree (both have them) and all their continuing ed credits, but they must even in a relatively well off rural district that doesn’t have a lot of money issues.