Teachers’ Union Sues Over State’s Tax Cap

So Gov Cuomo wasn't my pick for NY, but one good thing he did was put a cap on property tax rates. At least if the politicos can't control their spending, the cap reigns them in some.

But the unions, especially teachers unions are not happy. They can't keep getting increases like they are used to, they might have to tighten their belts like rest of us. Poor babies.

The lawsuit by the union, New York State United Teachers, asserts that the tax cap interferes with local control of schools, and that a requirement that 60 percent of voters support any override of the limit dilutes the voting power of those who favor exceeding the cap.

www.nytimes.com...

Another problem for them? 51% ain't the majority anymore! Good!

The tax cap, which Mr. Cuomo persuaded the Legislature to approve in 2011, limits annual increases in local property taxes to 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. A vast majority of school districts — 642 of 678, or about 95 percent — stayed within the tax cap last year, according to the governor’s office.

Sorry guys...2%....deal with it!

The teachers’ union, which filed its lawsuit in State Supreme Court in Albany, has been mulling a legal challenge ever since it failed to persuade lawmakers to reject Mr. Cuomo’s proposal.

Couldn't get Cuomo in their pockets, now they are mad.

Well the good news is that unions are on their way out.

At least the trend is heading in the right direction.

In 2012, the union membership rate—the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of a
union—was 11.3 percent, down from 11.8 percent in 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
today. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions, at 14.4 million, also declined over
the year. In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available, the union membership
rate was 20.1 percent, and there were 17.7 million union workers.

www.bls.gov...

reply to post by Hopechest


I hope you are right.....especially unions for civil servants.

Well those are official government statistics, they aren't mine.

It appears to be heading that way however.

Unions have their place in dangerous industries, by by and large their existence now is a scam. Really, civil servants, teachers, grocery store workers, etc have no logical need for unions. The same labor laws that apply to everyone else should be good enough for them.

Rant over, but I hate unions!!! can you tell? Lol

Originally posted by Hopechest
Well the good news is that unions are on their way out.

At least the trend is heading in the right direction.

In 2012, the union membership rate—the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of a
union—was 11.3 percent, down from 11.8 percent in 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
today. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions, at 14.4 million, also declined over
the year. In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available, the union membership
rate was 20.1 percent, and there were 17.7 million union workers.

www.bls.gov...

It will be a good thing when the unions are gone. Then the corporations can go back to paying slave wages who needs a middle class in America.

Unions were a good idea when there really was a need for that form of support. Now the unions are just another corporation taking advantage of the worker. There is no need for a union anymore. They are vampires sucking the lifeblood of the working class.

I feel better now.

There are federal laws in place that protect workers. Unions played an important role in our history but they are obsolete now.

Can you truly justify that Joe Schmo postal worker's average salary is nearly $80k when they have no education or specialized training? It is no wonder our postal sysem is hemorhaging $$$! Why should Hostess be forced into bankruptcy because they can't afford to cater to union demands. Why has the auto industry moved so much business off-shore? Unions kill industry and end up costing workers jobs. Why do you have to hire a teamster to move a piece of furniture in NYC. The whole concept of modern unions and what they are doing to this country is offensive!!



My husband was a part of one of the most influential unions in Canada for nearly 20 years. Once hired, those guys basically couldn't get fired. They could not show up, sleep on the job, fail drug tests, etc. and the employer had no recourse. Please tell me how that protects fellow workers or is good for business?

The unions there eventually killed the industry because no company could afford them, and no new companies were interested in buying up the old companies because they specifically didn't want the hassles of dealing with the union. Union bosses take home cushy 6 figure salaries, they are not in the field actually working in te same positions as the people they represent.

I am no fan of unions. People should be promoted because of merit and skill, not because someone got them into a union. Let national labor laws be good enough for everyone, and if they are not to your satisfaction, then work to change that!

I agree that some unions went too far ... I think it is funny that people keep comparing public service unions to private company unions when the companies meet in the dark and manage their business unlike a city or country would...

I will be laughing at all of the people wishing unions to be gone ... if you think those national labor laws work ... think again.... they don't .... I know from experience... I watched a man pay whites $7 an hour; blacks $6 an hour and women $5 an hour no matter how good of a worker they were..... people in general are stupid when it comes to work and don't know their rights ..... when I watch a foreman tell a worker who just hurt their back to "go home and put ice on it and call us back Monday to see if we have any work" ..... yes the asshole actually said that!

poor dumb Americans becoming poorer by the day ...... like the woman who had worked at WalMart for 8 years and was making about $11.50 an hour ..... she was only $100 above the foodstamp income cap in Indiana.

without unions companies can hire as many illegals as they want too ....

reply to post by fnpmitchreturns


That's really good money for a no skill worker at a discount store.

Unskilled workers shouldn't be making money like skilled workers.

Where is the sense in that?

reply to post by fnpmitchreturns


Companies are allowed to meant in the dark, this is the United States not the USSR.

Unions should not be strong arming the taxpayers for ridiculous perks and salaries for PUBLIC SERVANTS?

If you want to be rich go to college or start a business.

It's not easy to make good money, nor should it be.

Taxpayers should not be paying public servants more money than they make.

And companies have the right to allow unions in or not.

Being forced to be in a union is working like the mafia.

Originally posted by rimjaja
There are federal laws in place that protect workers. Unions played an important role in our history but they are obsolete now.

Can you truly justify that Joe Schmo postal worker's average salary is nearly $80k when they have no education or specialized training? It is no wonder our postal sysem is hemorhaging $$$! Why should Hostess be forced into bankruptcy because they can't afford to cater to union demands. Why has the auto industry moved so much business off-shore? Unions kill industry and end up costing workers jobs. Why do you have to hire a teamster to move a piece of furniture in NYC. The whole concept of modern unions and what they are doing to this country is offensive!!



My husband was a part of one of the most influential unions in Canada for nearly 20 years. Once hired, those guys basically couldn't get fired. They could not show up, sleep on the job, fail drug tests, etc. and the employer had no recourse. Please tell me how that protects fellow workers or is good for business?

The unions there eventually killed the industry because no company could afford them, and no new companies were interested in buying up the old companies because they specifically didn't want the hassles of dealing with the union. Union bosses take home cushy 6 figure salaries, they are not in the field actually working in te same positions as the people they represent.

I am no fan of unions. People should be promoted because of merit and skill, not because someone got them into a union. Let national labor laws be good enough for everyone, and if they are not to your satisfaction, then work to change that!

I agree with you for the most part but will remain pro-union until they change the labor laws to my satisfaction. I really hate how the bosses take advantage and how they provide too much job security to poor performing employees. i don't think the UAW wages and benefits were overboard at all. i just think that if you are trying to compete against other countries with lower currencies, there is no way to win that battle. Blame the government for allowing these cheap imports to destroy our industries and thus the ability to pay decent wages.

As far as the tax cap, the teachers are way off base and should lose. 2% annual increase is enough.

As soon as the tax cap was implimented, our property was suddenly worth a lot more. Our taxed value saw a 19% increase and I suspect more of this type of thing happened throughout the state. Nice little racket that effectively killed the 2% increase limit and I doubt the union had nothing to do with the sudden need to revalue properties.

The law was useless from the day it was signed because it lacked an annual limit on property assessment increase, something that was pushed for, but was not included. Wonder why? Oh yeah, to create this lovely loophole that allowed the extra funding yet still whine about the law.

reply to post by lynn112


I will keep an eye on our assessment.
Our assessments haven't gone up yet, still the same the last five years.

Originally posted by timetothink
reply to post by fnpmitchreturns

 

That's really good money for a no skill worker at a discount store.

Unskilled workers shouldn't be making money like skilled workers.

Where is the sense in that?

So your.advocating a race to the bottom when it comes to wages. Surely if a union can protect its members wages, there must be some good to them. Blame the private sector for paying such crappy wages. Not the unions for protecting their pay.

reply to post by woodwardjnr


No, I'm saying skilled and unskilled workers shouldn't be making the same money.

If you have no skills, you are entry level......bottom of the wrung.....that's life.

Work your way up, earn it.

Unions demanding ridiculous wages for unskilled work or work paid for with taxpayer money is wrong.

Eleven dollars an hour for Walmart is good. If they want better wages then better themselves, don't muscle it out of some one. A cashier is worth minimum wage.

Originally posted by timetothink
reply to post by fnpmitchreturns

 

Companies are allowed to meant in the dark, this is the United States not the USSR.

Unions should not be strong arming the taxpayers for ridiculous perks and salaries for PUBLIC SERVANTS?

If you want to be rich go to college or start a business.

It's not easy to make good money, nor should it be.

Taxpayers should not be paying public servants more money than they make.

And companies have the right to allow unions in or not.

Being forced to be in a union is working like the mafia.

your missing one BIG point ..... while big business was killing your wages through corruption by managing a business to be cash poor to deny workers raises the government can not do that .....

The point being that while your wages were suppressed the public sector unions had an even playing field and got the raises that you should have gotten all along .... It doesn't take but 10 years before there is a bog difference between the two wages scales ......

being forced to take low wages because the southern border is wide open so counterfeit workers can come and suppress your wages ......

I am a small businessman and I pay a good wage for the work involved ......

Originally posted by timetothink
reply to post by fnpmitchreturns

 

That's really good money for a no skill worker at a discount store.

Unskilled workers shouldn't be making money like skilled workers.

Where is the sense in that?

there are NO unskilled workers at a discount store .... do they have marketable job skills? ... I doubt it but to say that they have no skill would be wrong ......

They don't even in the unions .... one union had belonged to had a laborer training wage ....