Re Teachers’ strike articles of January 23rd
Teachers’ wanting better working conditions and smaller classes is a legitimate position. That is until they say that a pay raise will solve the problem. This an old, overused and transparent union tactic of tugging on the public hart strings with stated objectives that are not in line with there actual objectives which would gain them little ground in the battle for public support. Frankly the public should feel insulted at the unions attempt to deceive. I mean it’s time to at least come up with a better smoke screen strategy for heaven sake.
Far be it for me to tell others what road they should take in their professional careers. However if you are not happy with the conditions you work in and you can not change them then you have two choices, buck up and live with it or change jobs. I say this because I am living the advice. The whole reason I left a $45,000 a year job at 27 to go to AU is because I did not like my working environment for health and social reasons. I tried to change some things but many are out of my control. I came to the same two choices that I mentioned before. I chose to change jobs. I did this knowing I would probably not start working in a new chosen career at the same wage as the job I left. The opportunity cost of not having to work in the environment I had been and still am in part-time will be in the tens of thousands by the time I am done my degree. I did this so I could work in better conditions knowing full well that higher wages would not fix my conditions. I feel it will be worth it.
It should be obvious that more money diverted to higher wages from areas that could help improve the conditions will only allow conditions to erode further. If working conditions were really a matter of principle for the teachers, then more money would not even be an option. In closing, I would like to remind teachers they are not Nurses or Doctors, I have lived in Alberta, Manitoba and now Ontario and I have yet to hear of a teacher shortage on the same level as our health care professional shortage. To ask for a big wage increase because a group in an entirely different field and environment got one really makes me ask the question, “these people are teaching our kids?” Oh I forgot it’s not the unions’ job to care about the kids. It’s to bad the teachers are more loyal to the union then the kids. Who fights for the kids?
Trevor Siwak
Ottawa
