Not the time for a teachers strike

I have been a union member for over 40 years. I have always tried to support other unions in their efforts to better the lives of their members.

This time, however, I must draw a line and say that this is not the time for a strike by the teachers union. The economy is finally moving in the right direction but is still far from where it needs to be. There are still too many of our neighbors out of work. There are about 500 or more abandoned or foreclosed homes throughout Mount Prospect alone.

This is not the time for teachers to be greedy. They say they need wage and benefit increases. Well, so do we. Many of us live on fixed incomes. This year we got a mediocre 1.5 percent Social Security increase. We get next to no dental or optical benefits. We do get a 365-day vacation every year, but due to the ever-increasing tax bills we cannot afford to go anywhere.

How do you like those benefits Mr. and Mrs. Teacher? I am sorry, but I cannot support you and your greed at this time. If you go on strike, I hope it will be long and you will suffer as much as we do now.

Finally, once the issue has been resolved and you decide to go back to work, I hope there will only be a 1.5 percent wage increase with no retroactive pay or benefits given to you by the board and, ultimately, by the taxpayers of Mount Prospect.

Jerry Boldt

Mount Prospect