I’ve been trying for over a decade to get the following information through to people, but it fell upon deaf ears. Perhaps now people will wake up and pay attention!
The Federal Department of Education and all teachers unions must be abolished!!!!!
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PSEA Data (And Yet Another Teacher Strike Starts Today)
Dear Mr. Weaver (PSEA President),
I read your recent opinion in the Patriot-News newspaper, regarding teacher strikes and the link to “fair share” employment contracts, which 75% of all teachers in Pennsylvania are forced to endure. I found your statistics interesting. You stated that you have “about” 3,500 non-union forced dues payers, and 179,000 members in the PSEA.
I appreciate that it is difficult for you to look up the financial data that you declared to the U.S. Department of Labor for 2004-2005, so please allow&nb;sp;me to help. You declared 3,796 non-union forced dues payers and 178,133 members. By my calculation that amounts to “about” 3,800 non-members and 178,000 members. But what’s 300 forced dues payers between friends?
Your financial data also shows regular union dues for teachers of $376 per year, which in many school districts would be low. In my school district, union dues are nearly $700 per year. But let’s be conservative and say those 3,800 non-union teachers are paying 75% of the $376 figure. That amounts to a cool&nb;sp;$1 million that your organization coerces from non-union teachers every year.
$1 million that teachers who do not want your representation, are forced to pay your union, just to keep their jobs. Our Vice President is one of those teachers. He fought to have his forced dues go to charity instead of lining PSEA pockets. How sad that in Pennsylvania, a young teacher is required to justify his religious faith to teachers’ union officials. What a violation of individual liberty and an invasion of privacy. You must thank&nbs;p;Bob Mellow again for voting to enact Act 84 and this communist horror called “fair share” that 3,800 teachers endure every year.
By the way, if you ever forget what any of your expenses are, or what your membership figures are, please feel free to visit our web site where you will find accurate information.
It is interesting to note that for 2004-2005, you declared expenses of $23,293 at a small Italian family restaurant in Pittsburgh called Abruzzi’s which seats 130 people. I do have a few questions, if you don’t mind my asking:
- Did the $23,293 Abruzzi’s expense occur because the PSEA booked the entire place out, and everyone ate 10 pizzas and drank 9 glasses of wine; or did 6 field representatives go there for dinner 210 times in one year?
- With reference to the multiple “Region Golf Outings” where the PSEA typically runs up a tab of around $6,000 for a nice day out; please can you tell me if non-union teachers’ coerced money is used for these expenses, or do only union members have to pay fo r PSEA officials’ golf trips?
- When you publish your newsletters and advise your members who to vote for in the elections this year; will you also publish your golf handicap and thank everyone for the money needed to improve your putting technique?
- Can you explain what $127,622 in “non-itemized expenses” at the Harrisburg Hilton actually means. Was this the open tab at the bar for your favored legislators to pop over for a couple of glasses of champagne, before being given their campaign checks?
- Are you dis appointed that after pumping record amounts of money into Bob Jubilerer’s primary campaign, that John Eichelberger beat him anyway? That $10,000 check your PAC wrote to Mr. Jubelirer on 4/28/2006 certainly hints of desperation.
- Who is the collective bargaining agent for PSEA officials? The reason I ask is because I see that you are paid over $206,000 per year, and you have been helping yourself to over 20% annual pay raises, from the money that you require teachers to pay. Must be nice.
Last but not least, yet “another teacher strike” is beginning today. This time in the Carlisle Area district:
http://www.carlisleschools.org/home/Default.aspx?PageID=81
Thousands of innocent children and students are once again being thrown out of school. To strike at any time is a disgrace, but to strike in Carlisle when graduation is coming, proves that your organization is nothing other than a militant and ruthless operation. Your sole objective being to just to coerce as much money from taxpayers as possible. I am reminded of what AFT President, Al Shanker once said: “when students start paying union dues, that’s when we’ll represent them”.
Well ...
One of these days, some reformers in Harrisburg are going to stop your organization and fight back against this abuse. We will find the legislators who will represent our children’s interests, and our company will be ready to cheer them on. And you, ....you can come on television with me ..the father whose kindergarten daughter got frightened after seeing a huge picket line outside her school ...and you can debate a “right to strike” with me.
I look forward to that day.
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Simon Campbell
President, StopTeacherStrikes Inc.
668 Stony Hill Rd #298
Yardley, PA 19067
Tel: (215) 586-3573
Fax: (501) 638-4168
Email:
http://www.stopteacherstrikes.org
