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Friday, October 18, 1996     Page:

Pittston teachers, getting what they ask for, could unleash a backlash
   
I feel obligated to write this letter in response to the Pittston Area
teachers strikeOne person sent a letter to a local newspaper saying that we
should listen to what the children have to say about the teachers.
    Let me get this straight: The children say that we should raise the pay of
the teachers above what we could afford, so we do?
   
How many times have we taken our children shopping, and they try to spend
our money? How many times have they asked for more of an allowance? At what
point have they been able to manage our budgets — let alone the school
budget?
   
Everyone on the school board agreed that the teachers are good and deserve
their pay. What they do not agree on is what the teachers are asking for.
   
At the school board meeting, all of us had the chance to speak our mind. A
teacher stood up and stated that their demands were only what they deserve. He
added that a local factory advertised a job for $6.50 an hour, but visiting a
large city out West he saw that a fast food restaurant advertised a job for $9
an hour.
   
Growing up, I always thought that teachers were supposed to be smarter and
have more common sense. Boy, was I wrong.
   
Well, Mr. Teacher, there is such a thing as supply and demand. I do not
have a college degree, but I know that if the wages in this area were that
high then everything would cost a lot more — houses, property and taxes.
   
It was mentioned that the teachers in other local districts make more than
Pittston teachers.
   
Well, highly intelligent teachers, look at the local taxes for those areas.
People who work in Scranton pay 3 1/2 percent in local taxes. Wilkes-Barre
residents pay a 3 percent local tax to live in the city. Pittston is only 1
percent. Yes, the teachers may be paid more, but the tax base is higher for
those areas. If you are such a good teacher, move to those areas and pay their
taxes.
   
At the meeting, a teacher approached the microphone and whined about the
tax association. To my dismay, this professional had the nerve to state that
his constitutional rights were violated because he was not allowed to join the
association.
   
Tell me, teacher, where in the constitution does it say that I have to
allow you to join any group you want to join? Can I join the teacher’s union
and vote?
   
But what really got my goat was when you compared the association to Nazi
Germany. The Nazis killed millions of people, and to make this comparison
shows how out of touch and how insensitive you are to others’ concerns.
   
I feel that the current teachers are making things very bad for
up-and-coming teachers.
   
The taxpayers across the country are tired of these rising costs for
teachers. Either the states will take control and you will become a state
employee with a single pay scale across the board with a locality
differential, or a law will be passed where teachers will not be able to
strike.
   
Either way, the future of teachers will dramatically change.
   
Mark A. Anderson Sr.
   
Pittston