Letter: Sorry, Rep. Donovan, ’Evergreen’ bill goes too far

Posted 5/16/19

I am writing in response to Rep. Susan Donovan’s letter last week (“Evergreen bill restores balance between unions and employers”). The Evergreen Bill will ultimately raise property …

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Letter: Sorry, Rep. Donovan, ’Evergreen’ bill goes too far

Posted

I am writing in response to Rep. Susan Donovan’s letter last week (“Evergreen bill restores balance between unions and employers”). The Evergreen Bill will ultimately raise property taxes for Bristol residents.

Ms. Donovan states that only Wages & Benefits would continue under an expired contract ... Well, wages and benefits are 77 percent of the school budget. So that’s a huge bargaining chip that will forever be removed from any future negotiations. She stated that teachers do have not access to binding arbitration. There’s a reason for this — taxpayers should have the ability every few years to have their voices heard when a contract expires.

This bill gives all the power to the unions and nothing to the taxpayers in return. The recessions of 2008, 2009 and 2010 were not that long ago. The next time we have an economic downturn, the Bristol taxpayers will have no leverage in negotiations.

Ms Donovan stated in her letter, “I am confident that this legislation is a fair compromise that will avoid labor disputes that have the potential to disrupt the education of our students.” She is correct, because the unions will have no incentive to negotiate unless it’s in their favor. They will simply drag things out in perpetuity.

Contract negotiations are good for all involved. They assure balance between workers and taxpayers. This legislation is essentially giving lifetime contracts to union members. I am not anti-union at all. But some things go too far, and the Evergreen Bill is one of them.

Brian W. Clark 
Bristol

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