Kearny Teachers

[Guest Guest]

How about we don't go after one person and instead look at ways to settle the contract?

What do you suggest? She's the spearhead of the union's side of the contract.

[Guest Guest]

The firefighters and teachers are very generous people. It's good to know that in whatever town or city they live in (Caldwell, Point Pleasant, Brick, Montville, Madison, Rumson) is a public employee paradise. These brave (white) firefighters and dedicated teachers would gladly approve a $1000 a year tax hike on THEIR bill to provide absurd raises. NO WAY! Yet, they want the Keany residents taxed into poverty. Banging the drum of "It's for the children," and "We run in burning buildings," is unimpressive and lame. Little Billy is sad because the Firefighters need more money and more sleep. Little Suzie would be happier if Ms. Crabtree had better benefits. Its laughable. Firefighters (unskilled labor) deserve mininum wage and teachers $15 an hour. The end.

MORON!!!!

[Guest Concerned Parent]

How about we don't go after one person and instead look at ways to settle the contract?

Has anyone actually asked the union leadership why the union declared an impasse and filed for mediation on December 10? According to the newspaper, there are two issues but neither were listed. The BOE settled with the other unions. What's so different with their offer for the teachers?

[Guest Guest]

Hello Reality. Everyone is chipping in ALOT more for their benefits, no big raises, etc. As I drove down Belgrove Drive the other day with the picketing outside the schools my first thought was the children attending school must have lots of questions about unfairness situations, kind of like the "no tolerance" policy the schools have on bullying, where when one kid lashes out and the other reacts they are both suspended. Mixed messages here teachers, go petition after your work hours in front of the BOE. My second though was "No Contract, Still Working." I have no contract and I'm still working, as a matter of fact I'm grateful to be working nowadays. My heart does not bleed for union or government employees who want it all when the rest of the world is changing.

[Guest Guest]

Don't you get it? With These days of record breaking profits for most of our Fortune 500 companies, the question is not why our teachers are paid a living wage and have health benefits and pensions! The question is why most of us hard working skilled and educated workers don't !!!!!! I've never met a teacher who belongs to a country club! Wake up people! And demand more for yourself and your family!

[Guest Kearny Citizen]

The Teachers should go on strike right now. The pay they receive is an insult for the educational requirements and amount of time they dedicate to their profession. Why the hell should Firefighters be paid TWICE as much? A part-time job where the uneducated manual laborers make over $100,000 a year vs. skilled Teachers making $50,000. The Teachers should demand the respect they deserve from the Kearny political machine. Teachers should DEMAND higher pay than the Firefighters. I don't understand why the Teachers aren't bringing up that point? I guess the career Politicians nepotism and patronage hired Firefighter friends and family will always be treated like gold while the Teachers and children continue to be treated like crap. Poor choices are destroying the once proud town of Kearny.

[Guest Guest]

Hello Reality. Everyone is chipping in ALOT more for their benefits, no big raises, etc. As I drove down Belgrove Drive the other day with the picketing outside the schools my first thought was the children attending school must have lots of questions about unfairness situations, kind of like the "no tolerance" policy the schools have on bullying, where when one kid lashes out and the other reacts they are both suspended. Mixed messages here teachers, go petition after your work hours in front of the BOE. My second though was "No Contract, Still Working." I have no contract and I'm still working, as a matter of fact I'm grateful to be working nowadays. My heart does not bleed for union or government employees who want it all when the rest of the world is changing.

The teachers are picketing on their own time - work hours begin on a Friday morning at 8:40 in the elementary schools (earlier in KHS and LMS.) The teachers are in their school and sign in by 8:40. And, actually this is a great lesson for the students in peaceful demonstration. Teachers - for the most part - are not discussing the details with students, but are acknowledging that teachers are dissatisfied with working conditions (no contract) and are peacefully making their point made to the community and the BOE.

[Guest Guest]

is the observer right when it stated the union and BOE will go to meditation DEC.10!

That can't be right. Almost a whole year before the talking starts again.

BOE is settling other contracts. Let's go teachers, get back to talking and stop wasting taxpayer's money.

[Guest No Show Jobs]

The Teachers should go on strike right now. The pay they receive is an insult for the educational requirements and amount of time they dedicate to their profession. Why the hell should Firefighters be paid TWICE as much? A part-time job where the uneducated manual laborers make over $100,000 a year vs. skilled Teachers making $50,000. The Teachers should demand the respect they deserve from the Kearny political machine. Teachers should DEMAND higher pay than the Firefighters. I don't understand why the Teachers aren't bringing up that point? I guess the career Politicians nepotism and patronage hired Firefighter friends and family will always be treated like gold while the Teachers and children continue to be treated like crap. Poor choices are destroying the once proud town of Kearny.

Leave the poor firefighters alone. The teachers don't have to look any further than their own buildings. Maintenance and custodians were given a very generous contract and most of those guys make more than a large percentage of teachers and you're lucky if most of them work an hour a day.

[Guest Kearny Senior]

The Teachers should go on strike right now. The pay they receive is an insult for the educational requirements and amount of time they dedicate to their profession. Why the hell should Firefighters be paid TWICE as much? A part-time job where the uneducated manual laborers make over $100,000 a year vs. skilled Teachers making $50,000. The Teachers should demand the respect they deserve from the Kearny political machine. Teachers should DEMAND higher pay than the Firefighters. I don't understand why the Teachers aren't bringing up that point? I guess the career Politicians nepotism and patronage hired Firefighter friends and family will always be treated like gold while the Teachers and children continue to be treated like crap. Poor choices are destroying the once proud town of Kearny.

Barney is still crying over his failures to become a Kearny FF. He's like that Charlie the Tuna cartoon who keeps being rejected.

[Guest Kevin]

Taxes....Over $9,500 a year for property taxes. The education system & safety is horrible in Kearny!

[Guest Working Taxpayer]

What the teachers want is for the taxpayers to pay for their health benefits.

I'm a working taxpayer who pays half of my health benefits. That's a sign of the times.

The teacher's need to accept the offer made. They could end up with less with meditation.

[Guest Guest]

Please, people, the word is mediation. If one goes into a job position having health benefits provided in full, and then those are cut substantially, that is a big cut in salary. It's a particularly big percentage cut for the lower paid employees. The way things are going, all of us are going to be paying, at least half of our take home pay for health insurance. What happened!!

[Guest Kearny Citizen]

A Firefighter that makes $100,000 a year and pays $3,000 a year towards health insurance is a 3% contribution. Are the taxpayers supposed to feel sorry that these part time white man Firefighters are then making $97,000 a year for sleeping at the man cave? People working other jobs, like Teachers, where actual WORK and PRODUCTIVITY are required make half as much as Firefighters that sleep for 24 hours once a week. Residents/taxpayers are working two part-time jobs with no health insurance at all. They pay a ton of money if they can afford ACA insurance or get costly penalties. Teachers deserve better and Firefighter salaries need drastic cuts to ease the soon to be $10,000 property taxes.

[Guest Guest]

People should stop pitting teachers against people in other important lines of work, like firefighters. The wage structure isn't a result of any political machine. It's the result of the relative power of the various unions, and it reaches far beyond Kearny.

We need a new way of looking at education nationwide, which should include how much we pay our teachers. We do not pay them nearly enough, for the importance of the work they do. We should be trying to attract our best people into teaching. That will not happen at the salaries they are being paid. A good teacher is worth far more to society than a hedge fund manager but it is the hedge fund manager who makes millions of dollars.

We live in a sick society, in many ways. This problem cannot be solved in Kearny alone. Kearny taxpayers are not going to raise teacher salaries single-handedly, not to any significant degree. Even if they tried, it wouldn't last.

[Guest guest]

What happen is we elected people who tell us what the problem is, making us afraid of it and telling us who is to blame. I feel sorry for the teachers. But, let's blame the union and not the teachers. The teachers elected their union reps.

So the union tells membership what the problem is, or in this case they don't tell membership what the problem is. The union puts fear in membership. If the union can't settle there is a chance the union will call for a strike. The teachers don't work.

The union tells the teachers who is to blame. I'll leave that one for you.

By the way, why is it so important to correct people when they write a reply?

[Guest Guest]

Again Hello Reality - Yes it is a big cut in salary. Working in private industry my portion that I pay into for healthcare went up over 100% and guess what I have to pay. There are no more free handouts in this world. I thought the whole idea of working in government was for the benefits with less pay?? That's not the case anymore as salaries are very close to private industry. You can thank Mr. Obama for the OH-BUM-A-CARE too for those vouchers for assistance in healthcare benefits to the poor. Just how many of the "poor" are working for cash. I'd wager to say a lot. So while your buddies are working under the table and living off of assistance, you can thank them as well.

[Guest Kearny Citizen]

People should stop comparing salaries of people like Teachers to Firefighters. WHY? It's a huge injustice going on in this country when citizens are forced via taxes to support the wealthy people like uneducated Firefighters over their own children's education and future. People need to start getting more vocal and make changes at the local level to eliminate waste and excess. It is a WASTE when people sleep on the clock, period! Firefighters can replace every school custodian in Kearny by cleaning the schools instead of sleeping, cooking and watching TV. Why is that wrong?

[Guest Guest]

What happen is we elected people who tell us what the problem is, making us afraid of it and telling us who is to blame. I feel sorry for the teachers. But, let's blame the union and not the teachers. The teachers elected their union reps.

So the union tells membership what the problem is, or in this case they don't tell membership what the problem is. The union puts fear in membership. If the union can't settle there is a chance the union will call for a strike. The teachers don't work.

The union tells the teachers who is to blame. I'll leave that one for you.

By the way, why is it so important to correct people when they write a reply?

The teachers ARE the union. I think the teachers noticed that their take-home pay is shrinking and shrinking every year and yet more and more is required of them. They didn't need their local association to tell them that. It is illegal for public sector employees to strike. People who WORK and receive health benefits as part of their paychecks, public or private, are not receiving handouts. The health insurance industry needs complete reform.

[Guest Kearny Senior]

A Firefighter that makes $100,000 a year and pays $3,000 a year towards health insurance is a 3% contribution. Are the taxpayers supposed to feel sorry that these part time white man Firefighters are then making $97,000 a year for sleeping at the man cave? People working other jobs, like Teachers, where actual WORK and PRODUCTIVITY are required make half as much as Firefighters that sleep for 24 hours once a week. Residents/taxpayers are working two part-time jobs with no health insurance at all. They pay a ton of money if they can afford ACA insurance or get costly penalties. Teachers deserve better and Firefighter salaries need drastic cuts to ease the soon to be $10,000 property taxes.

Barney must spend every waking moment dreaming about being a FF. S- - ks to be Barney.

[Guest KPDRetired]

A Firefighter that makes $100,000 a year and pays $3,000 a year towards health insurance is a 3% contribution. Are the taxpayers supposed to feel sorry that these part time white man Firefighters are then making $97,000 a year for sleeping at the man cave? People working other jobs, like Teachers, where actual WORK and PRODUCTIVITY are required make half as much as Firefighters that sleep for 24 hours once a week. Residents/taxpayers are working two part-time jobs with no health insurance at all. They pay a ton of money if they can afford ACA insurance or get costly penalties. Teachers deserve better and Firefighter salaries need drastic cuts to ease the soon to be $10,000 property taxes.

You're a Liar, currently the employee contribution for a family plan for NJSHBP is over $9700, which is 1/3 of the cost of the plan. Nice Try but you should maybe try some facts first instead of pulling numbers out of your ass...then again, you might just Enjoy looking like a fool.

[Guest Guest]

Again Hello Reality - Yes it is a big cut in salary. Working in private industry my portion that I pay into for healthcare went up over 100% and guess what I have to pay. There are no more free handouts in this world. I thought the whole idea of working in government was for the benefits with less pay?? That's not the case anymore as salaries are very close to private industry. You can thank Mr. Obama for the OH-BUM-A-CARE too for those vouchers for assistance in healthcare benefits to the poor. Just how many of the "poor" are working for cash. I'd wager to say a lot. So while your buddies are working under the table and living off of assistance, you can thank them as well.

Morons like you are the ones who have all but destroyed the middle class. You buy the right wing narrative, and elect right wingers. In turn, they make sure the middle class gets squashed, and a few extremely rich people make all the gains while the middle class continues to stagnate, year after year and decade after decade. And you're too stupid to understand what's happening. So you call one of our better presidents names, failing to notice that if Congress had done what he asked it to do, we wouldn't have these problems.

Our health care system doesn't work very well, but it's better now than it was before Obamacare. More people are insured, and the rate of cost increases has fallen dramatically. Don't blame President Obama for a sick system that he made better.

The solution isn't to pit the middle class against itself; the solution is to recognize that the problem comes from the super-rich having too much wealth and power. When the economy collapses, the biggest banks and the biggest companies get bailed out, and the middle class gets the shaft. Don't know about you but I'm tired of paying Mitt Romney's taxes.

Politically, you're the problem, because you're too stupid to see what's going on right in front of your face.

That's right, you.

[Guest guest]

Can we stay on the topic.

[Guest Guest]

Morons like you are the ones who have all but destroyed the middle class. You buy the right wing narrative, and elect right wingers. In turn, they make sure the middle class gets squashed, and a few extremely rich people make all the gains while the middle class continues to stagnate, year after year and decade after decade. And you're too stupid to understand what's happening. So you call one of our better presidents names, failing to notice that if Congress had done what he asked it to do, we wouldn't have these problems.

Our health care system doesn't work very well, but it's better now than it was before Obamacare. More people are insured, and the rate of cost increases has fallen dramatically. Don't blame President Obama for a sick system that he made better.

The solution isn't to pit the middle class against itself; the solution is to recognize that the problem comes from the super-rich having too much wealth and power. When the economy collapses, the biggest banks and the biggest companies get bailed out, and the middle class gets the shaft. Don't know about you but I'm tired of paying Mitt Romney's taxes.

Politically, you're the problem, because you're too stupid to see what's going on right in front of your face.

That's right, you.

The fact that you start off by calling me a Moron and to follow it up with stupid shows your level of intelligence. Carry on LOL

[Guest Guest]

Morons like you are the ones who have all but destroyed the middle class. You buy the right wing narrative, and elect right wingers. In turn, they make sure the middle class gets squashed, and a few extremely rich people make all the gains while the middle class continues to stagnate, year after year and decade after decade. And you're too stupid to understand what's happening. So you call one of our better presidents names, failing to notice that if Congress had done what he asked it to do, we wouldn't have these problems.

Our health care system doesn't work very well, but it's better now than it was before Obamacare. More people are insured, and the rate of cost increases has fallen dramatically. Don't blame President Obama for a sick system that he made better.

The solution isn't to pit the middle class against itself; the solution is to recognize that the problem comes from the super-rich having too much wealth and power. When the economy collapses, the biggest banks and the biggest companies get bailed out, and the middle class gets the shaft. Don't know about you but I'm tired of paying Mitt Romney's taxes.

Politically, you're the problem, because you're too stupid to see what's going on right in front of your face.

That's right, you.

How do you really feel about it?

I have to admit, there are limits to how much stupid a person can take without saying something about it.