Myth Vs Fact
Pensions
Myth:
The state must offer a new Tier 6 pension plan for public-sector employees to save money.
Fact:
New York state's pension system has repeatedly been recognized by The Pew Center as one of the best-managed retirement systems in the nation. The proposed Tier VI would endanger the financial security of the current work force, as well as the pensions of retired public employees, by...
Results
Myth:
New York schools are 38th in the nation in terms of results.
Fact:
That figure is cherry-picked from a statistic that shows New York schools are 38th in graduation rates, not in overall result. Ranking states solely by graduation rates is misleading because it compares New York, with its high standards, to states with minimal requirements. And it...
Pensions
Myth:
Public employee pensions are bankrupting state budgets.
Fact:
AFSCME, one of AFT and NEA’s national labor allies, represents more than 1 million public employees. An AFSCME December fact sheet clearly makes the case for publicly funded pensions.
“State and local government pensions are, for the most part, well managed and not the...
Bargaining Rights
Myth:
Bargaining rights for public employees are the reason state deficits have exploded.
Fact:
If you haven’t read the column “The Shameful Attack on Public Employees” by former U.S. Labor Secretary, author and professor of public policy Robert Reich, now is the time. We’ve posted it on www.nysut.org. Reich takes...
Wages
Myth:
The average public service employee makes far more than a private sector employee. Some governors are using this statement to drive a wedge between private and public workers and put an end to collective bargaining.
Fact:
According to a new analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, state and local public employees are compensated, on average, 3.75 percent less than workers in the private sector.
The study factored in education, experience, hours of work, organizational size, gender, race, ethnicity...
Tenure
Myth:
Because of tenure, you can't fire a bad teacher.
Fact:
A district can bring charges against a tenured teacher or teaching assistant for insubordination, conduct unbecoming a teacher, inefficiency, incompetence, physical or mental disability, neglect of duty, failure to maintain certification or immoral character, at any time.
What about...
Due Process
Myth:
No one else gets 'due process.'
Fact:
Due process, a right enjoyed by all Americans, includes a presumption of innocence and the right to a fair hearing. Tenure is not unique to teaching. School building administrators have it, too. State and local workers, including police and firefighters, as well as private-sector union members...
Tenure
Myth:
Good teachers don't need tenure.
Fact:
Tenure's not about protecting "bad" teachers; it's about protecting good teachers. What would happen to teachers without tenure? They could — and would — be fired for virtually any reason.
It's not hard to imagine teachers being dismissed because they...
Tenure
Myth:
Administrators' hands are tied: Tenure's automatic.
Fact:
Unions don't grant tenure — administrators do. Too many school boards and superintendents attack tenure rather than hold their own managers accountable for hiring and supervising teachers and, if necessary, removing those who don't make the grade. Tenure is granted by the board...
Tenure
Myth:
Tenure guarantees a job for life.
Fact:
Tenure is about due process, not about guaranteeing jobs for life. In New York, new teachers serve a three-year probationary period, during which school officials have an obligation to evaluate those teachers' job performance. If, after three years, the local school board votes to grant a...
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