The Evil Genius Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 But Major...we pay your salary. So you should jump when we tell you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 2 hours ago, Fat Stupid Loser said: I know this because I had managed my father's affairs the last couple years before he died recently. Man sorry to hear this, I know what that loss is like unfortunately. My condolences to you and your family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popeman38 Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 1 hour ago, Fat Stupid Loser said: The teachers are going through what every other person in the state and country, for that matter, have been going through for years. Stagnant or declining salaries and increasing insurance costs, resulting in "salary cuts". They however have been sheltered from the insurance stuff until recently. Listening to them, its clear they have no idea what the rest of us have been dealing with. They have no idea how good their health benefits have been for the longest time because they have enjoyed paying nearly nothing for their insurance forever. I agree that teachers need to be paid more across the board. I think that they should be some of the highest paid employees in the school district they teach in. Teachers shouldn't take a "pay cut" because their benefits increase every year but their pay is stagnant. There should be a merit based system for pay increases for teachers. Perpetually. There should not be across the board pay raises (outside of quasi-COLA). How we get to this solution is a different story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 27 minutes ago, Popeman38 said: How we get to this solution is a different story. Easy. Start taxing the out of state oil and gas companies that are raping the state. I keep suggesting this, but your response is always, "Dear, me. Whatever shall we do to raise revenue?" Congratulations to Major and his fellow teachers. Unless I'm forgetting something, this is the biggest labor victory in America in the 21st Century. To win these concessions from a borderline facist West Virginia Senate is remarkable and is hopefully an inspiration to the rest of the country. Oklahoma, you're on deck. I saw this general argument on Twitter, and I'm going to steal it. For 30 years, workers have been told, "If you unionize, the plant will close. Your jobs will go to a right to work state. Your jobs will go overseas. Blah blah blah." And all that stuff happened anyway. I think the lesson here is that in the 21st century, union power is going to be less about collective bargaining and more about political organizing. Now they have to vote out Carmichael, Ferns, Blair, and their cronies to prove their strength. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 Unfortunately, as soon as SCOTUS rules on the Janus case, unions will likely fully die out or just be a shell of themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Comrade2000 Posted March 6, 2018 Author Share Posted March 6, 2018 WV is dead state, I doubt it will ever really change much. My hometown, Beckley though, did embrace education finally; since WVU's WV Tech relocated to downtown Beckley. Maybe that will eventually change Beckley for the better. Really isn't much in Raleigh County. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popeman38 Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 43 minutes ago, Lombardi's_kid_brother said: Easy. Start taxing the out of state oil and gas companies that are raping the state. That's nice. Teachers still won't be paid on par with Loudoun County. It will still be a 10-15% increase to drive the short distance. And WV will still be bottom 10 in teacher salaries. But that won't change the economic climate of the state. Too many small businesses have closed over the last decade. When we owned property in Ansted and visited once a month, there like 10 small businesses in downtown. Now Rite Aid and the Flower Shop are the only businesses remaining, and they opened a Dollar General. Now, how are you going to convince a teacher to move to that town to teach at Ansted Elementary and Ansted Middle? Interesting aside, Loudoun County teachers move to WV after their kids graduate from HS. Because the cost of living is significantly cheaper than NOVA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpyaks3 Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 4 hours ago, Fat Stupid Loser said: Its actually against the law here in WV for public/government employees to strike. But apparently that law doesn't matter as they are doing it without consequence. Yeah well it gets to a point where the law doesn't really matter, most of the labor gains in this country came from labor actions outside the scope of the law. As long as the teachers stay strong there isn't much the government can do since there are already massive teacher shortages in WV. The teachers are going through what every other person in the state and country, for that matter, have been going through for years. Stagnant or declining salaries and increasing insurance costs, resulting in "salary cuts". They however have been sheltered from the insurance stuff until recently. Listening to them, its clear they have no idea what the rest of us have been dealing with. They have no idea how good their health benefits have been for the longest time because they have enjoyed paying nearly nothing for their insurance forever. I know this because I had managed my father's affairs the last couple years before he died recently. He had the PEIA state insurance and retirement and it was shockingly fantastic. Public employees are now dealing with the reality that those kind of benefits are simply not sustainable. Welcome to our world guys. I understand their arguments and am sympathetic to a point because escalating insurance costs and pay cuts suck. But someone needs to explain to me why public/government employees should be sheltered from such realities especially since the rest of us, living with these realities will have to foot an additional bill to continue to shelter them. So instead of ****ting on people trying to get a fair deal why don't you unionize and fight to raise your own benefits. Your enemy isn't the teachers trying to get livable wages and benefits its the corporations and people who are trying to cut benefits for public and private sector workers for their own private gain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 @Major Harris 1.) Thank you again for what you're doing. You're giving hope to a lot of working folks - even outside of the U.S. - and you're making this Wobbly as proud as can be. 2.) I wanted to get your take on the deal the Legislators struck, specifically: -How does the rank-and-file feel about it? It's my understanding that only one demand of five have been met (the across the board pay raise). -Is the strike going to go on? The politicos are hooting and hollering like it's the best thing since sliced bread but this is a wildcat strike and they've been wrong about the teachers returning to work before. I have my own opinions on it but it's easy to make them from way out here in Pennsylvania. My opinion doesn't matter right now. And I cannot say this enough: thank you. Thank you all. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I and a lot of fellow workers are. We have been watching and doing what we can to support you. If you all stay on the line, you'll have some non-perishables coming your way from Philadelphia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Harris Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 @thebluefood we are going back. Other biggie was PEIA. While it’s not permanently fixed, we would be on strike for a very long time waiting for it to be. We were able to get a freeze on any changes for 19 months and a task force that includes educators to try and find a fix. Other things included bills designed to weaken our union and lower teacher qualifications. All killed for now but I doubt it’s the last we see of them. Its a win for for us. We are still 48th in pay but none of us think the state is rich or wants to overburden it. I hope this event leads our politicians to stop ignoring us for decades at a time. Thanks for the support. It was heartwarming, we received messages of support from all over the globe. I ate pizza in the state Capitol that was ordered by the San Francisco Education Association. Teachers in Florida sent pizzas last week. One thing, if you ever go on strike pack a healthy lunch. I’ve eaten more pizza and drank more soda in the last two weeks than previous 2 years. I need to lose a few strike pounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 @Major Harris I will have to keep "strike pounds" in mind if I ever find myself on the picket line. Well done all of you. If the wildcat's ever back on the prowl in West Virginia, you will have support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 @Major Harris Good **** my friend. Glad yall got a W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 31 minutes ago, Major Harris said: One thing, if you ever go on strike pack a healthy lunch. I’ve eaten more pizza and drank more soda in the last two weeks than previous 2 years. I need to lose a few strike pounds. When I was a kid, the USW was still in its heyday, and every few years, the workers would go on strike. It always looked rather fun. They had a pretty healthy strike fund so the guys had some cash coming in. There would also be donations and raffles and such. So no one was going to lose their house unless the thing went on a few months (which did happen twice in my lifetime, I think). But from a "fun perspective," it looked great. They had 8 hour shifts where groups of 10 or 15 would picket each entrance. Each day, someone would be in charge of food so you would drive by and see these huge mean sitting in lawn chairs (with baseball bats or crow bars leaning on them) each these big sausage and pepper sandwiches or plates of homemade gnocchi or roast beef or what have you. Sitting in a lawn chair for 8 hours, eating like a king, and hanging with your buddies while a thousand cars drove by and honked at you seemed awesome. And then every few weeks, management would try to crash the gate with some scab workers and then you got to smash a car with a baseball bat. I mean, what is better? I had a cousin who was a janitor in the mill. He actually had a math degree, but chose to be a janitor because it gave him a huge audience for his primary business - being a bookie. He's a millionaire now. Oh and about once a week a group would picket the home of someone in management until the police came and sent them home. The police were typically sympathetic so they would usually give them a few hours. Back in the 50s and 60s, my mom's father was "a company man" - a foreman on a salary, When they would strike, he literally had to climb the fence with a sleeping bag and camp out in the plant for the duration. The man thing was keeping the furnaces going, because shutting down a steel furnace could crack it, and they cost a fortune to replace. In '90, when my mom was on the picket line in the last teacher's strike, some USW guys would occasionally show up to the school. They scared the living **** out of some of the elementary teachers when they threatened to flip the principal's car over when he crossed the picket line. I saw that whatever is left of the United Mine Workers was in Charleston with you guys. Even though he wasn't a miner, my grandfather had a framed picture of John L. Lewis in his house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Comrade2000 Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share Posted March 7, 2018 There's still plenty of places where you cross the picket line, they will shoot at you. It's funny that WV has now embraced the GOP when the GOP could give **** about the working man/woman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 On 3/4/2018 at 7:33 PM, thinwhiteduke said: They won't get anything significant, or just will be replaced They won in a rout and may have inspired a new strike in Oklahoma. 2 minutes ago, Rdskns2000 said: There's still plenty of places where you cross the picket line, they will shoot at you. It's funny that WV has now embraced the GOP when the GOP could give **** about the working man/woman. I can't remember the last major strike that didn't involve public employees. Violence is largely absent from these things now when they do occur, which is becoming exceedingly rare. I've always been of the belief that labor disputes need a "scent" of violence. Just a whiff. I've been texting teacher friends of mine in Charleston all week suggesting that it wouldn't be the worse thing in the world if a Senator's car was torched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Harris Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 On 3/4/2018 at 8:33 PM, thinwhiteduke said: They won't get anything significant, or just will be replaced ????? 10A6D63D-46F4-4FCB-BD98-9397535D1CFB.MOV 1C0C3C25-2294-4276-AED4-C008D9F839C8.MOV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 I'm the son of WV teachers, and I supported this strike 100 percent. Still, every time I spoke with a teacher - especially those that I knew voted Republican - I had to say, "I guess that temper tantrum over Obama didn't work out so well." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Harris Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Just now, Lombardi's_kid_brother said: I'm the son of WV teachers, and I supported this strike 100 percent. Still, every time I spoke with a teacher - especially those that I knew voted Republican - I had to say, "I guess that temper tantrum over Obama didn't work out so well." Yeah and I’ve read that teachers as a group don’t vote. Something like 35% clip. If true that’s absurd. I hope that all this “Remember in November “ is more than just rhetoric. We need to keep this momentum and get out and vote. Now lets just hope we have some good candidates to vote for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 4 minutes ago, Major Harris said: Yeah and I’ve read that teachers as a group don’t vote. Something like 35% clip. If true that’s absurd. I hope that all this “Remember in November “ is more than just rhetoric. We need to keep this momentum and get out and vote. Now lets just hope we have some good candidates to vote for. I think Ojeda is a lock which should scare the **** of Capito, because he's not going to be satisfied with Representative. I could see him trying to primary Manchin too at some point, but that's pretty radical. People in the panhandle weren't terribly fond of Ferns before this week. At this point, he's complaining about people driving past his house and screaming "unkind" things. Part of me thinks he won't even run. The Dems have a very good candidate already primed to go after him. There's no way to do this, but the best way to drive teacher turnout is to put a levy on the ballot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Comrade2000 Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share Posted March 7, 2018 18 minutes ago, Lombardi's_kid_brother said: They won in a rout and may have inspired a new strike in Oklahoma. I can't remember the last major strike that didn't involve public employees. Violence is largely absent from these things now when they do occur, which is becoming exceedingly rare. I've always been of the belief that labor disputes need a "scent" of violence. Just a whiff. I've been texting teacher friends of mine in Charleston all week suggesting that it wouldn't be the worse thing in the world if a Senator's car was torched. I'm 49, so I can remember the old days. There's a coal mine, about 750 feet below my parents house. I remember when miners went on strike, their were reports of violence. True, this was back in the 80's. I remember going to NYC on Greyhound back when Greyhound workers went on strike and I had to wait. They slashed the tires on my bus; so we had to wait until a new one came. Maybe things are better now, but I remember that remember, they didn't take kindly to people crossing picket lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Harris Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 6 minutes ago, Lombardi's_kid_brother said: I think Ojeda is a lock which should scare the **** of Capito, because he's not going to be satisfied with Representative. I could see him trying to primary Manchin too at some point, but that's pretty radical. People in the panhandle weren't terribly fond of Ferns before this week. At this point, he's complaining about people driving past his house and screaming "unkind" things. Part of me thinks he won't even run. The Dems have a very good candidate already primed to go after him. There's no way to do this, but the best way to drive teacher turnout is to put a levy on the ballot. Part of me wishes Ojeda would stay in WV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 10 minutes ago, Major Harris said: Part of me wishes Ojeda would stay in WV. The question is what does he do in WV? He's tempermentally ill-suited for governor, and is not exactly the chief executive type. I guess he can be a modern-day A James and run for secretary as state as the colorful ambassador, but what does that job even mean? Unless, there is a Virginia-type wave in 2018 and 2020, he's going to be back-bencher in the WV Senate. There's a limit to what he can accomplish. There really is no Democrat like him on a national stage. If he goes to DC, he'll be a feature speaker at the next 5 Democratic National Conventions. They'll make him the Democratic ambassador to Trump's America. And if the Dems take the House, he can sponsor the bill that legalizes marijuana nationwide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Harris Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 4 minutes ago, Lombardi's_kid_brother said: The question is what does he do in WV? He's tempermentally ill-suited for governor, and is not exactly the chief executive type. I guess he can be a modern-day A James and run for secretary as state as the colorful ambassador, but what does that job even mean? Unless, there is a Virginia-type wave in 2018 and 2020, he's going to be back-bencher in the WV Senate. There's a limit to what he can accomplish. There really is no Democrat like him on a national stage. If he goes to DC, he'll be a feature speaker at the next 5 Democratic National Conventions. They'll make him the Democratic ambassador to Trump's America. And if the Dems take the House, he can sponsor the bill that legalizes marijuana nationwide. Ok you sold me. Ojeda for US House!!! I hadn’t posted in here since August. Good to be back. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Good seeing you again, buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 3 minutes ago, Rdskns2000 said: There's still plenty of places where you cross the picket line, they will shoot at you. It's funny that WV has now embraced the GOP when the GOP could give **** about the working man/woman. The working man does pretty well here, and they shoot back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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