Thomas, as I searched the internet for your email address, it seems its associated with Monroe Middle School, Romona Jensen, who also seems to be associated with a Global Climate Change group from the University of Wisconsin. I realize your name is Thomas, so I’m presuming that its indirectly a relative and your using their email. So your mother is associated with the teachers union, but you seem to have a unique perspective from doing your own research on government unions. For some reason I believe you’ve been inundated with Union beliefs. Which is fine, but you still should do your own research.

Unions (now days) are not as beneficial to government and private sector companies, as they once were. The demise of our steel industry, our auto industry and our government, teachers too. Years ago, because we didn’t have the tv media, news papers and especially the internet to voice our free speech, especially when companies were taking advantage of workers. Now all it takes is a call to our radio stations to get something noticed. 50 years ago, this happened in our steel industry and for good reason, the conditions were bad and salaries were not up to par. Now .. our steel industry is NOT competitive and for most of the large buildings being built in the US, the steel is being shipped from across the ocean cheaper than we can buy it in our own country, why? labor costs! I realize their may be some government subsidy going on, but for the most part, our Unions increase the risk of increasing costs to the final product or service. Plus I’ve seen union labor work, seniority status is how their paid, has nothing to do with who does a better job. Ultimately what has this done to our economy, shipped many jobs overseas because labor costs are too expensive. Thanks Unions.

Thank you to all teachers who devote your time and energy for teaching our kids English and Math. Arts and Music too, although i question if tax payers should be paying for it. Keep in mind, for those of you who work for the government like teachers, everyone else is paying your salary. You work for us! If you ask me you shouldn’t have a right to a Union. It should be a vote. Better yet if you don’t like whats going on in your state, go elect someone who believe what you believe. Our government is growing, so there are less people to pay taxes. Another solution, drop the middle school and high school physically live classrooms and let the Internet take over except for weekly test and exams. So instead of 5 days a week, make a day a week. How about that one? God Bless our country that we can have a civilized conversation or close to it without hurting or killing people.

Black Separatists, were mentioned as having a hate group. aka Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ, can‘t find them anywhere except in a tv spot for cable a few back as an ad.

White Revolution: It looks like a one guy organization and the website says it all http://www.whiterevolution.com They do need to keep an eye on this guy aka Billy Roper. But the website says their address is in AR. I think thats Arkansas. Not in Wilmington NC

And the third they list, League of the South, http://northcarolina.chapterlos.org/ He shows up as the Chapter Leader, Bernhard Thuersam, State Chairman, that must make him part of a Hate Organization. While in fact he is the Executive Director of the Cape Fear Historical Institute in Wilmington NC. He’s a native of Niagra Falls, New York, he has been a devoted student of World History cine 1958. He is former Chairman of the Cape Fear Museum Board of Trustee. More info about him here .. http://www.confederatedigest.com/2010/07/confederate-black-troops-in-war-between.html He’s from the North running a hate confederate organization? Looks to me like he’s a history buff!

So my point … None of the findings in my town are currently accurate. None!

Why is SPLC touting their data. I searched a few more throughout the state and from an online search couldn’t find any correlation with another 3 listings. None!

Who checks this stuff?

So what did the Union do? Increased your pay as you mention, but what else did it do? Brought attention to to the university, more grant money requested from the state, most likely increased will affect tuition for many years to come. Unfortunately I also worked for a Union, when I was hired for xx amount of dollars per hour during college, I thought to myself, heck ya! But then I on my first pay check, I noticed Union dues, well there went my heck ya feeling. And what does the company have to do when a they pay for the Union, increases their prices to compete in the market. And to my original point, While to some extent, I can see where a Union may be of benefit, I mostly have the stance, there should be no unions. If you feel your pay or benefits are inadequate, go find another job. But if our government is being run properly, a similar position regardless of location, race or gender, should equal the same pay (Unions shouldn’t be required to implement this theory). But here again were in a republic and elected officials can easily vote themselves pay increase without public consent. While I’m happy for you personally, is it really the right thing for our government to write a check to the Union execs? And while a professor in a teaching position is of high stature I also question government position in general, political representatives and their intent? longevity? The government offers quite the pension, which is a rarity in the private sector these days. Even the folks who work for the road system, maintenance crews, and administrative staff who work for the government are getting better financial securities than privately held positions. Which seems a bit contrary to the way it should be.

The company I work (pharma) has the same pay for a new person coming into sales regardless of location, gender or race. In addition, we don’t get paid on tenure, contrary to government teaching positions. Meeting objectives, both performance and peer observations is the only way for us to increase our pay. The harder you work, usually come with results and the more you get paid. Again, contrary to the government teaching positions, the longer you work the more you get paid, regardless of any objectives. Unfortunately it sounds like it quite specific to different locations throughout the US. Here again, if I like what I do, but my company were limiting my opportunities and pay, I would look outside the company, but to keep quality and hard working individuals they know what they need to do. The government tenure teaching position is a bit flawed in general and should be evaluated.

To our state colleges: My UJ’s point, why are administrators, staff and assistants making more than our professors? Maybe our chancellors and a couple executives (and unfortunately a few coaches), but in reality its our professors that make the difference!

God Bless America and our Freedom.

One instance of it’s efficacy was when we began investigating our pay in relation to other similar institutions our size and location (not in a city or urban environment) It was discovered we were substantially below the level of these. Consequently there was a request for a substantial amount of money to remedy this. I thought it a good idea but had my questions until it was learned that the administration had voted themselves a sizable increase in their salaries… I want to say something like 18%?? When we were informed there was no money for our raises, finding out about those raises really hit home. I’m still not sure if I would have gone on strike as we had voted – that went against a lot of my ‘beliefs’, but at the last minute the funds were found, the strike was avoided, and our salaries, which even after the increases, were still not very high, but certainly a definite improvement. OK, I did NOT go into teaching to make money, but it was ‘interesting’ to find out that my son’s first job offer after college was higher than what I was being paid after 20+ yrs of teaching. While I know the market governs such things, and I was certainly happy for him, it was nonetheless thought provoking.

Of course I retired in ’98 and am not aware of how the union is functioning at Western now, but I can tell you that ‘back when’, most of us worked hard at what we did because we thought it was right to do so. There will always be people who try to ‘beat the system’ in any enterprise, organization, etc, but I found very few of them among the teachers at WIU. And felt the union had very little to do with that. They were doing that Before the union was formed. Some I felt maybe shouldn’t have been teaching, but that was my opinion.
Plus, from experience, I think teaching is a rather complicated process.. it’s Not just a matter of dispensing information. People are involved….

A bit surprised that I’m even responding to this, but just out of a whim today I decided to check out your website as I hadn’t for a long time. Saw the article, which pushed buttons All over the place.. hence this comment.

Hope you all are doing well there. I didn’t send any cards this past holiday season. Still trying to decide whether to write some kind of New Years card.
Oh, pardon anyone else who might read this. I happen to be admin’s Dad’s brother.
Very best to you all…
Hope my ‘two cents worth’ makes a little sense??