VTA Union bosses get exorbitant salaries?

VTA Union bosses get exorbitant salaries?

In an online thread at the North County Times blog comments following another NCTimes anti-union article, a member of the VUSD anti public education group charged that union 'bosses' are paid exorbitant salaries.You can read the article and the comments (thread) here:

No member of any union leadership team gets exorbitant pay or benefits. All union leadership gets the same pay as before they were elected to their leadership position. It is the same teacher salary as all other members of their association.

In Vista, the president, in addition to her or his salary, gets a pitifully small stipend that hardly covers her or his extra hours of service to the district.

It should also be emphasized that all union leaders are elected from among a slate of candidates who self select to run for office. They are elected by a secret ballot of the entire membership.

The elected union leadership of the Vista Teacher’s Association changes greatly every two years at election time. The turn over problem is one of the greatest challenges for the VTA smooth functioning.

It is difficult for full time teachers to make room in their busy full time teaching day for any extra duties let alone the huge commitment of time a leadership position requires. VTA leaders seldom stay in leadership positions for more than a very few years.

In Vista all union leadership, except the president, teaches full time.

When the Vista Teachers Association president's term is over, the president goes back to a regular classroom as a regular teacher. That classroom may be anywhere in the district and likely will not be the same position she or he left to take the job as president.

The extra hours of work, the incredible stress of the job, and her or his probable inability to return to her or his former classroom and school site mean very few members run for president. It is a hellish job with few rewards. Additionally the president virtually has to give up on her or his personal and family life for the full term of office.

Public school teachers are by far the most caring and giving people I have ever known. Teachers do not deserve the disrespect and out right hostility that they are getting. The only fault of public school teachers is to exist. As with all unfairly denigrated groups in history, all we did wrong was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when demagogues needed a scapegoat. Those of you who listen to those demagogues and repeat their baseless accusations should be ashamed.