Columbus Schools See Solidarity, Union Style

Public unions like the Ohio Education Association care about only three things: jobs, children, and the middle class!

“Nothing is more essential than creating jobs and providing high quality educational opportunities for children. But our legislators are ignoring and short-changing these essential functions of state and local government and schools,” Frost-Brooks said.

Follow the above link to the OEA site, and you’ll find a wealth of stories about how awful Senate Bill 5 is – and how awful Ohio’s taxes aren’t. Did you know taxes in Ohio are fair and competitive, with corporations clamoring to live in the house Taft and Strickland built? It’s true; trust the OEA and union-funded leftist groups!

All the union talk of jobs and taxes is meant to obscure a simple fact: public unions get rich by increasing the cost of government. For every Solidarity Fist™ demanding higher taxes to "create jobs," there’s an opposite hand in the cash drawer. Taxpayers foot the bill, but they aren’t the only ones! Imagine if you were a young dues-paying member of the Columbus Education Association or the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) and you saw this budget chart:

Last week I offered some suggestions for how Columbus City Schools could save money without firing anyone. As of 2010, 1,459 employees – over 17% of the district’s total – were paid $75,000 or more. How many of those folks are union members? What kind of sacrifices have CEA bosses asked the best-paid teachers and staff to make? Have union "leaders" led by example? Since the CEA marches to the OEA’s drum, we can make an educated guess:

What about the OAPSE, also known as American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 4? As an AFSCME local, those guys are all about solidarity:

Exit question: how many of the 30 union members on the chopping block at Columbus City Schools will get refunds from the OEA and AFSCME for all the dues they’ve paid?

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Cross-posted at that hero.