November 7, 2005

Dec. 1 - 14A MEA-Retired Holiday Party & Potluck (Alpena County Library)
2-6 - Chuck on vacation
7-9 - Office Closed – Northern Zone Staff Meeting (Traverse City)
13 - 14A Coordinating Council Meeting (MEA Office)

I spent last week Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, helping out with a fact-finding in Sault Ste. Marie with the LSSU Faculty Association. The college claims it has no money—it doesn’t. The college claims it must cut employment expenses in order to stay afloat. If the faculty does not agree to salary freezes (three years) and reduction in health benefits (change from Traditional BC/BS to Community Blue PPO and pay a 20% portion of the monthly premium) the college will probably impose the above on the faculty.

We all know that funding for K-12 and HE has been slim at best. Add to this declining enrollment and we have the opposite of double-dipping. I have professed at the bargaining table and to anyone willing to listen that in order to fix this problem, the bleeding must be stopped. That is, declining enrollment must flatten or turn around and the funding has to increase by at least the cost of living. Freezes—benefit reduction, etc., will not FIX the problem.

Boards and staffs cannot see the forest for the trees. The state is broke, school districts are heading in the same direction; but no one is addressing the problem. Instead the boards target the employees for rollbacks, the employees, in turn, point out their board’s "stupid spending habits". Neither side is accepting the fact that we are all in the same boat. If the board takes a shot at the employees, a hole is put in the hull of the boat. In response the employees take a shot at the board and another hole is put in the hull. The result is both sides bailing out the boat while blaming the other party. Yet nothing is changes. A lot of energy is expended by both sides shooting holes in the boat!

Instead, energy must be spent on changing the system. It’s the system that’s broken not the district. We have all heard and actually believe we are doing something wrong expecting enough working capital to provide for employees’ wages and benefits. It’s the "Big Lie". It is NOT wrong to expect funding to provide for the most important service the state can provide its residents. What is wrong…is our elected officials have not come into the 21 Century! We are no longer a manufacturing state or country for that matter. We gave or are giving it all to China, India and other Third World Countries. Yet, we tax ourselves based upon a system developed when we moved from an agricultural economy to a manufacturing economy (about 100 years ago). Our elected leaders need to bite the bullet and change our tax base from manufacturing to service. We provide more services (haircuts, golf, oil changes, etc.) without taxation than manufacturing items. Look at the items we buy—how many are made in the USA? If they are not made in the USA, we are not collecting taxes on these items. How many services do we accrue in a month (doctor visits, automotive work, lawn services and the list goes on)?

So what am I saying in this diatribe? Essentially until such time the system (taxation) is changed, this scenario will repeat itself over and over and over…

Back to LSSU, hundreds of hours were spent by both sides to prepare and present this fact-finding. Had the same amount of hours been utilized in collecting signatures, thousands could have been obtained. If every school district in the state did the same, we would have had 300,000 signatures before October 1. Instead we (administration and employees) find it more palatable to give up wages and health benefits than collect signatures. WHAT!?

Atlanta EA President, Amber Ellis, has authored a book? Alta Fay’s Allegiance is a good read and would make a great stocking stuffer. Amber will even sign it for you. The book is available through Amber, or on the web at www.amazon.com  and www.barnesandnoble.com

to use plastic wrap to store acidic foods, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes and berries. Aluminum foil will react with the acid and give the food a metallic taste. Also use plastic wrap for fruits that brown, such as sliced apples, avocados, bananas and peaches. Press out all the air to keep the food from reacting with oxygen and turning brown. Also: To prevent freezer burn, put a piece of plastic wrap on top of ice cream to seal out air before covering with the carton top. Bruce Mattel, chef and associate professor of culinary arts, Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY,
Chuck & Harriet

P.S. Hope you see a "Tirty Pointer"

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