At the core of the economic challenges that industry and educational systems face is the unionized workforce. Now that the economic burdens of these corporations have become our economic burdens, there is a massive blame fest pointed at unions by conservatives. I am a conservative minded but socially concerned citizen, business owner and non-union member.
If corporations are living beings- they are like body builders- and unions are the immune response of an overworked mal-nurished body. The corporation’s role is to trim the fat, build muscle at lowest possible cost.
In this example, getting bail out money is like a body builder using steroids. It ends with a shrunken, saggy and limp business at the end of the day.
Unions would exist as tyrannical gangs if corporations did not exist. Big business nursed the unions. Unions were created out of need. Without them, our basic human rights as employees would have been sold out long ago.
I believe we need to see reform across the board, especially in education, lower, higher and anywhere it is said to be provided. I believe we need to address the ongoing evils of big business as we simultaneously address and explore union issues.
The cost of living has only increased, unions exist to get what is best for the employees. Big businesses do the same. One cannot attack one without addressing the other. This is a natural war. Corporations do not serve the people (nor does government in many cases) and they cannot be trusted to adequately provide for their employee community. It is not a priority and they often use the image to establish an illusion. The inherent nature of corporations is cannibalistic and focused on one thing, profit.
Small businesses struggle with the dichotomy of their roles in the community and their role in the local economy. Corporations are machines and do not enjoy the human condition. If you laid off the board members and CE-NOs the machine would continue to work like a FORD Excursion in cruise control or a run away freight train. If they have all the rights of a human being, they need to be held as liable and accountable as a small business.
This is next to impossible without hitting them in the only line they can read- the bottom line. Unions are the natural response to corporate robots and translate human to robot. Let’s mature beyond simply blaming unions for social and economic problems and address the complexity of the issue.
Performance Based Pay
In Business
Job Security was the go to excuse for paying employees less money. Job security turned out to be a complete illusion, ask anyone who recently retired from the airline industry or any number of companies. Depending on the risk and employee history, employers should expect to pay more where employees can percieve the risk of a short term relationship. Independent contractors do this all the time and since corporations have failed to demonstrate integrity across the board perhaps it’s time that the masses held out and acted as independent contractors more. The corporate giants would save trillions in health care and people could make a decent wage.
Education
Here is how I see the future of unions playing out in Education, perhaps the most important institution in dire need of reform. The problem with performance based pay is who determines good performance. I believe parents in any given district, graduates, college students, along with district superintendent and the teachers unions should play a more direct role in determining performance of teachers.
Silly but Incredibly Practical Performance Solutions
Use an A-F or 5 star rating. Rate My Professor, is a great way to analyze teacher performance based on student opinion. If this were balanced with administrative viewpoint and combined into a 5 star rating system, I think we could accomplish more.
Terms in contract where x amount consecutive semesters will force teachers to attend more training camps, programs and resources and ultimately get fired if they cannot perform.
On the primary educational front, teachers in turn should be allowed to issue syllabi to parents describing expectations, requirements of students and parental involvement. So many parents squirm at the notion but don’t you want what is best for the brats you are sending to public daycare? Parents need to be more involved and if the student needs to be held accountable as well. There are many free programs for the underprivileged and struggling that are under-utilized (though many are being cut as we speak).
