Fourth in a series.
Re: “Mielke Is Grateful for Due Process”
Reflecting on last month’s convincing courtroom verdict supporting the status quo for teachers in the sizzling Vergara vs. California case, Teachers Union President David Mielke said wisdom, common sense prevailed.
If the labor unions had lost to the nine student plaintiffs, “Vergara would have done away with the current way we handle layoffs, which is by seniority,” Mr. Mielke said.
“When we do layoffs by seniority, what it does is take favoritism out of it. It’s just ‘when were you hired?’ ‘When were you hired? See you later.’”
Mr. Mielke said that had the plaintiffs triumphed – complaining that financially poor students suffer under present policy – “the School District would have been allowed to get rid of whomever they wanted in terms of layoffs.
“The risk to us is this: If they are laying people off, they probably are doing so for financial reasons.”
The Teachers Union leader posed a question:
“Would you rather lay off Dave Mielke at $90,000 a year or a brand new teacher at $45,000?
“Obviously you are going to lay off Dave Mielke,” said Dave Mielke, “because you are going to save twice as much money.
“The seniority policy is a way of saying we are not going to do this by favoritism. We are not going to do it by which person you get money from.
“It is cut-and-dried,” said Mr. Mielke, who joined the District in 1979. “When were you hired? When was I hired?”
(To be continued)
