As the Janus Supreme Court case looms, recent and historical events show how unions have built the middle class and how all workers, including educators, need to stay together to achieve fair wages, benefits, and working conditions.
States with strong unions have higher levels of income, which benefits our society, quality of life, and economy. Schools with strong unions have less turn-over, resulting in a professional, experienced staff that benefits our students.
“They told us that essentially if you weren’t a single person, if you had a family plan, your health insurance was going to rise substantially. As a West Virginia teacher — and I’ve been teaching 10 years — I only clear right under $1,300 every two weeks, and they’re wanting to take $300 more away for me. But they tell me it’s O.K., because we’re going to give you a 1 percent pay raise. That equals out to 88 cents every two days.”
“The average teacher’s salary in West Virginia is around $45,000, among the very worst in the nation; our last raise was $1,000 four years ago. It’s not uncommon for teachers in our state to work a second job. I have a master’s degree and nearly three decades of experience, and I make $49,950. My two sons and I live paycheck to paycheck, and I work admissions for sporting events for additional income. I actually make less now than I did in 2012 because of increases in premiums for our public employee insurance.”
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