WOW!
I'm so glad you decided to write a blog!!

TY

Excellent! Loved everyone of your posts also!

TY GS mom.

Very nice, Myron.

Thanks...and YES...I know there are a few typos. I was running on fumes, so cut me some slack :)

Yes Tom?

I made it clear that I do not have a problem with private sector unions. That is their right. I do have a problem w public sector unions but i did not go into detail in my blog.

My only problem is forcing employees that do not wish to be a part of any union to pay agency fees. If you want to organize, so be it...but you do not call the shots on who can come in and you certainly should not be able to tell fellow employees who do not desire your representation that they must still pay you fees either way.

I don't understand why people think it is "union bashing." I am simply saying to make membership voluntary. No one said you couldn't organize. Why is that so "threatening" if so many people "need" your representation? That's all I am asking.

I am including any union bc why should the expectations be different between an auto worker and a teacher for the point I am arguing above. I am not saying union members are evil people. I am saying that it is wrong to force another employee who does not want your representation, benefits, etc to still pay fees to your union. Just bc you unionize, doesn't mean you are now the "employer."

And if I'm wrong on this point... Why do unions fight so hard to resist voluntary membership?

Btw...my blog days are done...at least for now. You guys are free to write anything and everything you wish at anytime. So if you want to do a blog on schools, by all means, please do...I'm sure it will be educational for all visiting the site. Time for me to get back to work though...I said what I wanted to say. I appreciate compliments and I do also appreciate those who disagree but took time to read.

Justine,

What if Myron is a private sector employee? If so, his employer pays him and knows what he makes. Public sector employees are paid by the public and their salaries are available to the public because of it. In particular, if a Public Sector employee, who Myron pays their salary, makes themselves the face of a movement (through public comments), then they are open to active critique.

Do you get the difference? If you don't, you aren't worth debating.

If you don't contribute to Myron's salary, pension and retirement, its none of your business. If you do...feel free to chime in. But, you don't, so take a back seat and let the adults talk.

Boom.

Want to know any other teacher salaries?
Here are 2 sites you can check - but remember to add 10% to these figures, that's the benefit OUR district teachers get (we are about 1 of the 29 in 619 or so in the state who do things this way - only 3 in the Cleveland area).

http://www.tos.ohio.gov/teacher_salary
http://buckeyeinstitute.org/teacher-salary

agreed

You want my name and salary? Answer this question first...do you pay my salary, health care or pension? No...then...none of your business.

Do you really not get the difference?

Do you have outrage over public company financials which contains the compensation of Directors and Officers? How about the Sunday PD Business section which shows insider transactions.

You want my salary, throw some numbers to the left of your comma...then you're in my ballpark.

What exactly are you proving by doing this? You are a private sector employee...no one has the right to know your wages, pay, etc. as you are not compensated with tax payer dollars. You should stop now while you're behind. No one else is dumb enough to join in this game.

That's after taxes right?

btw...the whole double-dog dare you, reverse psychology game doesn't work that well unless you are a kid or Marty McFly.

Justine, Justine, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

I point out facts. People sometimes don't like the truth. No apologies offered...and definitely no shame felt on my end. Good luck Justine...you'll need it.

Justine,

I will have a good night knowing at least one person in this city is compensated fairly based on their intelligence.

The Taddersons own more miles across the Midwest than your 2004 Chevy Aveo has probably ever driven. They are very wealthy people...dont be envious. Why are you so concerned with publicizing your salary and then demanding everyone else do the same? I will tell you this...your annual salary would not cover my monthly yard maintenance costs of my properties. Is that enough for you to start to get the hint? i commend you for working but you gotta take it easy on here w this obsession of knowing everyone's salary. Believe me, your only gonna get more upset.

No, it was public information and she brought attention to herself by making the claim no unionized teacher had received a raise since 2008. So, I looked at http://www.tos.ohio.gov/teacher_salary and fact checked her. Sorry you were unhappy with the results not being in her favor. Maybe I will keep blogging teachers salaries each day of strike until its over. Won't take long...just a quick post every day for all to see. Would you be willing to help me gather the data from the states website? You would be handsomely compensated.

By doing so, you also would give yourself an outside shot of once again being in good graces with the Taddersons. Very powerful people.

Justine,
Your outrage over Myron posting public information, in a public forum puzzles me. Let's put that aside for a moment...are you outraged over public employees flat out lying (saying they have not gotten any raises over 5 years). If a public employee lies in a public forum about that, as a means to secure addition/above market compensation, which the tax payers provide, isn't that a disgusting tactic? Are you outraged over that?

You are naive.

Very well written. Thank you!

So, if our computations are correct, Strongsville pays $69,000,000 (minus those on individual; this is based on family) total for health insurance for the whole district per family insured. Or, $18,000 per year per family insured. Or, $1,500 per family insured.

JAMES MURPHY, you said up above that you believe the teachers are worth every penny of the $80,000, but that you simply believe they should pay for their own benefits. Based on the average of working 184 days, that equates to 1400 hours, based on an 8 hour work day. I'm being generous on the hours because we're talking salary, not hourly employees. They like to say they work a lot more than that, as do many other professions. But, that is what you sign up for as a salaried professional, and the hours don't matter as a salaried employee so we base the work day off of an 8 hour day.

Other professions work 2,000 hours a year. So, teachers work 70% of other professions. If we extrapolate their income out to compare apples to apples (by multiplying 80,000 x 1.3 to add that 30%, for anyone trying to figure out where I got my numbers from), they are really making the equivalent of $104,000. This puts them above CPAs, financial planners, and engineers as far as average wage in the Cleveland market and at least in line with attorneys, who work a lot more hours on average. Does that seem out of skew to you?

When I look at the pressure and responsibility involved in the positions of CPAs, financial planners, engineers and attorneys (as examples), I do not believe a teacher's salary as career field should meet or exceed those fields, generally speaking. The additional liability factor alone involved in those positions makes a huge difference. And, to the teachers, I'm not talking about criminal liability (as in, responsibility for the care of the children). I'm talking about the daily pressure of liability of making a mistake. Even a mistake in those jobs opens the person up to potential liability. Teachers have a more administrative or supportive role in that regard. The school district and its higher ups have the weight of those decisions, not the teachers. So, to me those salaries are out of skew.

Please understand. This is no disrespect to teachers. They ARE truly valuable to me. I'm merely discussing economics. Thanks.

Awesome article. Perfectly said. I agree 100%

Myron for President!

TY. I'm running for pres of SEA next year...Kim thinking there will prob be an opening.

Myron, you haven't a clue what this teacher went through to get those raises. There are raises and there are step increases that are structured based around the degrees and certifications and duties of the teacher. Do you know how much of that salary you're posting is a stipend for extracurriculars? Do you know how much of it is because she received additional training? Do you know if she took on extra duties? Do you know if she got her master's degree during this period? No, you don't know any of these things, but you come on here and speculate wildly in absence of facts, like most of your posts on the patch.

At this point, teachers in Ohio are required to have a master's degree. As these take between one and two years to accomplish (if you're going full-time), this means that teachers are among 7.95% of the population of America. And they have to continue to advance their education, by law, getting additional college credit as the years go by. That they pay for out of pocket.

This puts teachers on a parity with lawyers and doctors and high-level engineers for educational attainment. Yet you seem to think that they shouldn't be paid anything for this and should merely be willing to do this for what you could get paid as a janitor with a high school diploma.

You seem intent on trashing teachers and wrecking your community. I leave it to others to determine why.

Is $80K a year with unmatched benefits a bad compensation package? Some people are suggesting they deserve more.

There are a ton of people working in non-profit, with advanced degrees, that make a lot less than that.

On top of it, the money has run out. We can't just print more and hope the problem goes away.

Strongsville residents need to realize something every time they complain about where their tax dollars are going. You pay one of the lowest rates of any community in the area.

Here are the numbers:

http://treasurer.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_treasurer/en-US/2012_CommercialTaxRates.pdf

Of the 80 communities listed in this, only 11 have a lower tax rate than Strongsville. You like to think of yourselves as a rich district but you cry like babies every time they want to raise taxes by $20 a month to balance your school district's books. That's not how rich people act.

The truth is, you live very well for very cheap, and sooner or later things have to be paid for. Adults recognize this and step up. Children throw tantrums and try to look around for an enemy they can blame and attack.

That's your story in a nutshell, Myron.

Thank you for the summation of every one of my posts into your one single post. I love "we live very well for cheap." Because that single figure sums up every cost of our lives. There are no other expenditures that a resident of this city is responsible for whatsoever. Maybe you are forgetting that, among many other things, on top of funding your ENTIRE pension and 90% of your healthcare premiums, we also have to take care of our own as well...plus we have to have another 6.2% removed from our checks in SS that you do not. You are truly a moron. And it's so funny listening to people like you cry as if you have it "so bad." If you think WE live well, what the hell do you call 75K/yr + 7600/yr in tax payer provided pension + near zero healthcare costs, no SS payment (6.2%), almost 100% job security and all for only 184 days a year?

That, my friend, is your sad, pathetic violin solo summed up in a nutshell. Good luck getting anyone other than teachers to join your pity party once they see the real numbers.

Hey, just saw this has 100 FB recommendations...uh-oh...that's a lot of people now that can see the real numbers. Might not help gain any sympathizers, huh?

Oh look, here's the fabulous proposal that the Strongsville BOE has put out:

http://www.strongnet.org/cms/lib6/OH01000884/Centricity/Domain/1/Proposed-Agreement.pdf

lyn, the Board is busy cleaning up their proposal. That's what's really going on. I'm sure the teachers would have been willing to show their proposals a long time ago. The intransigence in these debates is coming entirely from the BOE. Believe what you want, but you're wrong.