HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1971-06-09, Page 14Are'the Secondary School Teachers in ;iHuron. County justified in,: resigning, their •positions:
Weortuni•t to reply to recent;publicit Concerning the teachers financial
take this oPp Y p YY g position:.
,Percentage increases are often a poor means.of 'actually outlining: raises given due to non. -financial` or other items.:•
r;
/Presently, between the board and the teachers, .are,. some financial and non financiial:differences., We, will, try to Tet you, the
public, see and assess our.. differences. in these:areas:
Teachers generally want to' lower the nu ber of Ye ars that it.takes 'to get fromminimum salarYto maximum 'salary, At the
present .time our salary agreement calls for a category,4 teacher who starts at $8800: Per year and goes to. a maximum of.$14„700
�,:..,gi
per year' in ,15 years with an automatic: 'increase of "$300for the first., year. and --$400-,for :the second: and' succeeding years..This is.
incorporated in a salary grid which appears be'Iow,••
$8;800.
9,.100
9,500:
9,900:
10,300
19,700:
1.1,100:
11,50.0. .
11,900:
12,300
12,:7.00:
..13,100
13,500.
13;900.
.14,300..
1-4,700.
. can be 'readil.y seen.; although the:. two".grids,'
st'arC gut at the same figure :o# $8;800; ,the annual
increases change following, year,.1 and the teachers' ,'.
request incorporates $500 and '$600 ` increases 'so
that a maximum. salary of $15,500'is•reached
years. By comparing the figure opposite) the years
of experience .one.• can. see , readily, that a teacher
with 8 years of experience will °receive $600 more
.by the teachers' grid than by the, present.
agreement. •This in': itself does not appear to be.
entirely out of line.but .the inplications..on future
boards should be noted; ••
The number.:of .dollars should be added to show what a teacher receives.. over the number of. ears onthe. rid.: ou'r resent':
agreement; 'a:teacher receives 187 300 over a' eriod of 15•. ears. B the Y g By p
�. g $ � p �y yteachers.' request; a teacherreceives. a total' of $,196;6:00
over 15 years: This: is a difference of $9,300 per teacher. This 'does .not .include.any future:negotiations and ‘.if past experience;
What does this Mean to Huron. County It means.lhat clue to. the fact we have 269.. secondary teachers: and 335; elementary •
teachers, who are presently or will be degree eo.�le :: an increase :in ,salaries paid, of ,.604 x ,$9;300 = .$5 617 '200 overt -'e'next 1 "
P Yg P, P : P , ,.. h 5
• ' year -s, without everinegotiating any: further increase,
The teachers argue that Huron County says very Little of this due to our grant system, We admit wee enjoy a good grant structure
which was• given to' us. because of oura n l y n
giver) lowassessinerit area: We do�notbe;lieve'ths.�is�a valid point whichwill.
:eventuall:y.stas mer the 'ProvnciaLe do'my and cause texes.to he a ver _grave prbb -f-.or-.Lr-ri:anay s c tu-n:a-t e-opfe:'A_o pa-”
As evidence.. of ability to•pay; .we cite'the tax arrears in rural Huron County' which. are uP to $337,463 an increase of about`15,
__ :_per cent ;over. the-pr'eviou:s year
Anotherpoint at issue is Retirement Gratuity. The name speaks..for sell:
E�eYy te��K�r�-r`-Hity given 20 days per yea:tobe sick without losing pay These days, if not,
used for sickness,
. 200 days are accumulated.
Due to the .fact. that some teachers. do not get sick they end up their •teaching careers
accumu ate until g I
With' 200 or. more accumulated days, It.'has:been thea reementthat as a reward for not being sick a teacher may use the 200 days:
or fraction thereof to collect up to '/Z year's salary ;upon. retirement:
•
The board felt due to. other retirement benefits this was unnecessary. Take the example of the Category IV teacher above who.
'retiring' receives 'a Superannuation 'which was partially:paid for by .himself and partially paid for by. the
Province 6% from which iscomputed by taking70% of the -average of his,best'
pension of
. _ 7 year, _salary, giving,him a e $9,809
ea 9e p Canada-Pens�i,-on`plus-theium um:frayrnentivf$7,S00-for ret1reri t: gr�tuit1e '~ .
p r�y r�pi-rrs-hrs�l�a... � � eri-s�i�n lus�h�rs�
The Board, believes this lump payment is unnecessar'" and also feels they were.,in error ink attempting to take the
Yp g away
Retirement Gratuity without .prior warning, but instead should have attempted to phase it out over a period df years:
Consequently the Board in its last offer (5:5 per cent increase) re -instated the retirement gratui'ty., contingent upon the acceptance
)sag s with increasing the subsidy.payrnent from 50 per cent �to 66 2/3 per cent on O.H.S.1.P., and,
Grou� Life Insur .ice. It ��, � f O;H.S.C. '
The Board also di ' ree
p a also does not see the justification for' including a•.new benefit item Blue Cross Extended Health Plan.
Many other Boards in the Province°are paying these requests by. the teachers. We in: Huron feel a responsibility to keep taxes in Line
With the 'ability to 'pay. Our teachers say we are wrong Regardless of our slice of the economy they (the teachers) Should receive
What other teachers are getting,. Few people in Huron County enjoy the benefits listed here, plus many others,