Underfunded & Overpromised

Vermont is staring down the barrel of the sort of pension crisis that has hit elsewhere and even driven some California municipalities into bankruptcy.  We published David Coates' warning on the coming pension tsunami earlier this year and, since then, Treasurer Jeb Spaulding has taken up the cause of reforming and funding Vermont's obligations to retiring state workers and school teachers.

The new head of the Vermont NEA (that would be the teacher's union) isn't having any of it.  For Martha Allen

the issue is not just the possible changes to teachers' and state employees' pensions being considered by a commission set up to study how to bring the costs of those retirement systems down. It's that the commission even exists in the first place that worries – even offends – her.

"They are out to eliminate our pension system as we know it," said Allen, who has concluded that the biggest change in education policy being sought by the state is not in school spending but that state officials "need to support our retirement system."

Spaulding, however, strikes a hopeful note.

"I am looking forward to working with Martha as we work on making adjustments," he said. But in the end "the only thing that is not reasonable is to say we have to have status quo."

But who said anything about "reasonable?"

Unions draw lines in the sand and when they fight, they give no quarter. Issues are defined as labor vs. management.  Or, in this case, teachers vs. taxpayers.  And the people representing labor do not care about management's problems.  They represent their members and are out to get them the very best deal.  Management can look out for itself.  Or not. 

The teachers do not expect to lose and cannot be expected to give in.  Not, anyway, to appeals to sweet reason.

Comments

[txgordo]

It will come down to teachers vs. parents - and the parents usually blink first, because so many of them do not see teacher pay as their money - it's state money, and the education system is very good at shielding how the state gets the money to pay the teachers. Ask a high school student how teachers get paid - it should make for an interesting answer.

[Dennis Lukas]

Teachers as civil servants are no longer servants, the public who supports them are the servants, as the poor teachers whine how hard they work, and they demand more and more for the 180 days out of the year they work. They retire with benefits most of those that pay their salaries will never come close to. I know "Its for the children", to bad the children can not read or write after thier wonderful education.