Paid, unused sick time a costly luxury

The definition of sick leave:

Sick leave is paid time off from work that an organization voluntarily provides employees as a benefit. Sick leave is used when an employee is temporarily ill and coming to work would pose potential contagion to other employees.

No wonder school districts and other public entities are in financial trouble when unions negotiate such outrageous benefits. And then we have public entities people who are unable to negotiate a contract without placing unbearable commitments on the taxpayers.

In your heart of hearts, union members, can you really justify such an outrageous “benefit?” And then you get upset when the taxpayers finally say, “Enough.”

Such contracted benefits have killed the goose that laid the golden egg.

A teacher in Cary has accumulated two years — yes, two years — of sick time and since he did not use these days he will be paid for them.

And now the school board and the taxpayers of the school district are scrambling for enough money to keep the schools operating.

Teachers union, you must be very proud.

Bill McElman

Lake In The Hills