McHenry County Blog

Rather than ask for less and narrow the differences, the Huntley Educational Association (HEA) literally asked for more--in writing--last night.

That's the word on the street and I doubt the HEA will formally deny it.

Indeed, as the teachers' union rolls over the school board (the board is bragging about offering 17.8% over three years!), why should the union alert taxpayers of how much of the Huntley School District 158 treasury they are about to win?

But do HEA members know this upping of the ante by Co-Presidents Julie Hunter and Kim Ashenbach will be keeping them out of work longer?

Now, for the first time during negotiations, the HEA is asking for two fewer workdays. Even the HEA's last counterproposal didn't ask for this.

This is called yanking the Board of Education's chain.

Hard.

Anyone think the co-presidents are going to admit to their members this is how they are trying to reach a settlement?

Not a chance.

How about this for twisting the tail of the Board of Education last night?

The teachers also decided to ask for more financial concessions than they were requesting Sunday night.

Previously the HEA had asked for part of their Teachers Retirement System payments to be made in year 1...in addition to the salary increases; now they want increasing TRS payments included in years 2 and 3.

Last night, the HEA started asking for TRS every year of the contract.

Apparently the board has caved so much, the teachers think they can extract even more money from the taxpayers. All they have to do is ask.

Meanwhile, Brit Crow, a music teacher on the HEA negotiating committee, has her fellow leaders convinced to stay on strike until she gets a new contract provision that would benefit herself personally.

It must be difficult to be a servant leader when one has as much power as has been delegated to members of the union negotiating team.

Crow wants to be more special than regular classroom teachers and officially be required to work fewer classroom hours than other, more "ordinary" elementary teachers.

This is an IEA union "equality" argument tipped upside down. She has told the Board the solution is easy:

Spend the money on hiring more music teachers...

which, if there is a fixed dollar amount for raises, would mean smaller raises for all of the teachers so Crow can crow she and other music teachers are special.

Fast forward to “Animal Farm.”

Of course, parent union Illinois Education Association is a major reason there is a strike in Huntley.

The IEA's real target is Crystal Lake Elementary District 47.

You see, there are only two school districts around these parts which are not paying both the district share of TRS pension contributions for their teachers, but also that part state law requires teachers to pay themselves.

The IEA wants to dig into Crystal Lake's coffers in their next contract.

When Huntley caves, the union will be able to tell Crystal Lake they are the only hold out on paying the teacher portion of their pension payment.

When I was state representative, I had to pay 11.5% of my salary, since I wanted my wife to have a survivor annuity. Single folks could pay 9.5%. (If I haven't personally thanked you for my generous pension, let me take this opportunity to do so. It allows me the time to write McHenry County Blog.)

Those were after-tax dollars.

Those are the kind of dollars that people use to pay their share of Social Security.

People in the private sector might ask their employers if they would, pretty please, pay their employee share of Social Security as well as the employer’s share.

That's essentially the goal of the state union for all teachers.

But back to the implications for Crystal Lake.

Huntley is the treasurer chest of tax dollars that the IEA needs to step on and crush like an empty juice box.

Who cares if taxpayers have to pass another 55-cent tax hike to fill it back up?

This is the “fair” part that is on the IEA signs. It’s “fair” to trample on any taxpayers who get in the union’s way.

The second IEA big push item is holding out for guaranteed automatic 6% raises for last four years of salary for any teacher who might retire. That's in order to increase the final pension base by 26¼%.

Bet your private sector employer would agree with that in a heartbeat.

At a meeting I attended, only two teachers were introduced as retiring, so it's not big money now. But in future years...

The IEA wants to put a Huntley School District scalp on its belt.

They want to add Huntley to the list of districts that caved on this, so they can go hammer other districts for this concession.

This is one of the IEA “pattern” concessions that the union is methodically going after throughout the State.

But is it a good reason for the Huntley teachers to be on strike?

If having teacher unions be able to strike throughout the United States is the “Change That’s Needed” by Obama, Huntley's experience should be closely watched.

Turning down a 17.8% salary increase over three years and striking could be pointed to by the John McCain campaign as the exclamation point showing how Obama has failed to lead in Illinois. I wonder if any Democrats are embarrassed--even a tiny bit--by what is going on in Huntley.

All photos may be enlarged by clicking on them.

Labels: Crystal Lake Grade School District 47, Huntley Education Association, Huntley School District 158, IEA, Teacher Contract, Teacher Negotiations, Teacher Salaries, Teacher Strike