To the Editor,
Re: Teachers aren’t striking because of salary demands, Letters, July 3.
I’ve grown weary of the teachers union and its endless and seemingly wanton march to higher wages. Their proclamations that they deserve what teachers in other provinces get, with no regard for what’s sustainable, affordable, or even reasonable with respect to the taxpayers, all smacks of entitlement to me.
I’m particularly disgusted by their talking point that this strike is not about the money but they’re doing it ‘for the children.’ If the teachers really cared about the children that much, they would recognize that they’re well-paid already, and dedicate whatever wage increase they manage to wrangle from the government to the children.
In closing, and as a counterpoint to their oft-cited ‘evil corporations,’ I am one of the evil corporate executives they point to as benefiting at their expense. I’m a CEO of a small company of 15 people, and I make two-thirds what a regular teacher makes, on a good year. I think it’s a good idea to remember that the bulk of our province’s GDP comes from small businesses and corporations such as mine, and we’re the ones who pay for all these public sector wages.
Brendan MillbankNanaimo