Need to reward results, not seniority

I was pleasantly surprised to see your March 30 headline, “Should seniority outweigh performance?” I would think that for most individuals, the obvious answer is a resounding no. From my viewpoint, I find it sad that this question even needs to be asked. Unfortunately, this is an indicator of just how out of touch union-protected vocations seem to be.

In every profession that is not “protected” by union representation, you are judged by your value and performance. I spent 13 years in a retail union and was disgusted repeatedly by how incompetence and poor performance was rewarded. Every six months you received a raise regardless of whether you earned it or not. There was no motivation to improve because it practically took an act of God to terminate a poor performer.

I was a union steward for two years and found myself conflicted many times having to advocate for someone who truly didn’t deserve it and only had their own interests at heart. The us vs. them mentality was far too often the norm. It seems that the success of the company you work for is secondary to union greed with no thought that if the company fails, you have no job.

When it comes to teachers, we are consistently seeing our academic achievements decline not only from state to state but in the international community. If we are to succeed, we need to reward results and not time in position. The private sector lives by this rule, why shouldn’t those who are being supported by the private sector?

Paul Whiteleather

Carol Stream