West Hartford teachers' union contract

Cheshire's recent teachers' union contract has gotten some recognition as a three year contract with a 4.4% raise for each of three years. However, I find it useful to break that down into two parts (of varying names):

Year 1: 1.65%
Year 2: 2.45%
Year 3: 2.65%

and

Year 1: 2.80%
Year 2: 1.95%
Year 3: 1.75%

And now the Courant is reporting:

Avoiding arbitration, the teachers' union and school board have agreed to a two-year contract that would raise wages by 1 percent and 1.25 percent in the first and second years of the agreement. Teachers also would pay slightly more for their health care premiums and would work one less day each year over the next two school years.

So West Hartford's 1 and 1.25 should be compared to one of the two Cheshire numbers. But either way, I'd take the West Hartford numbers. And even Councilman Altieri suggested the Cheshire contract was richer than he expected. But don't worry... the Rubber Stampers assured us that going to arbitration would have likely been a waste of money.

So let's see... the financial software, Norton boiler, the Lilac Drive pump station... with absolutely no consequences for anyone (except the taxpayers)... and our Council majority has the audacity to voice concern about costs?

The Courant continues:

The pay raises are the lowest for the teachers' union in recent memory, and school board Chairman Terry Schmitt called it "a harbinger of the things to come, of what's going to be happening in town after town." (By VANESSA DE LA TORRE and JOSH KOVNER)

Talk about sticking your head in the sand.

Tim White