Unions’ hand on teachers too heavy

We all love teachers, but teachers unions, not so much. We’ve all heard how when an election comes up, some teachers unions will call all the teachers and tell them how to vote. A teacher friend of mine told me how she would go in early to prepare her lessons and also stay late to grade the students’ work — until the union called her in and told her not to work so hard and put in so many extra hours. She was making some of the other teachers look bad.

Then there was that big flap in Wisconsin about the ridiculous teacher pensions. If you don’t know, the typical pension is 75 percent with a cost-of-living increase every year. Try to match that in the real world. Well, after that happened in Wisconsin, one teacher I know got an email from her union with a pretty extensive list of companies who supported the governor to boycott. Give me a break!

None of these stories was local, but it sure makes me wonder if all teachers unions of full of thugs like these. I hope not. What I recommend is that all union officials be required to see the movie “Waiting for Superman.” It pretty much explains how teachers unions are destroying our public education system across the country. Come on unions, wise up and join the teachers in trying to do the best for the kids. Yes, the kids. We are all watching.

Bill Hartman

Barrington