On Saturday, I took part in the biggest demonstration in the history of the State of New Jersey. I marched with several other union workers against the draconian cuts that have been made by Govenor Christie. This week, they will begin taking 1.5% of my salary. On the surface, this sounds like a very small amount but why should I have to pay more than some other of my colleagues for the exact same thing? He also wants us to agree to a pay freeze. I just got the letter reinstating my contract for next year and since the school board has offered basically nothing in negotiations, we will be starting next year again without a contract. This means I have already had a pay freeze for 2 years. I understand that many people in the private sector have lost jobs and had to take pay cuts because of the recent economic debacle. But their jobs and salaries and bonuses will eventually come back. If teachers agree to these cuts, they will most likely be in place for years to come! It's very disheartening to be treated as a scapegoat like the Jews of Nazi Germany when I spend my days at work teaching high school kids to read who have been failed by our system so far. I had to vent just this once. I promise no more political stuff on my quilt blog!
I don't mean to stir up trouble here, but wanted to point out that those in the private sector don't necessarily get their pay cuts and job losses back. I was let go from my job in 2007 and haven't found anyone who will take me on more than temporarily yet. That's 3 years now. My husband hasn't had a pay raise in 3 years and spent all of last year working only 32 hours a week - that's a 20% pay cut. Yes, he's back to 40 hours this year, but still no raise this year....it's not guaranteed to come back anywhere.
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