California’s Unions
* Although your paper continues to disparage teacher’s unions, I was heartened by your report, “Union Ranks Up in ‘99, Led by California” (Jan. 20). While Wall Street reaps record profits, no mention is given to the fact that the average wage of working Americans continues to fall. The inflation-adjusted earnings of the median worker in 1997 were 3.1% lower than in 1989, according to “The State of Working America 1998-99,” by the Economic Policy Institute (Cornell University Press).
Doesn’t the public benefit if unionized teachers--who can afford houses and health care--teach their kids? The alternative is that children will be taught by nonunion part-timers who must struggle to pay rent and health insurance premiums and are more focused on basic survival than teaching. Thankfully, Californians will continue to join unions and work hard for a living wage. Our neighborhoods will be better as a result.
BRUCE E. TASHOFF
Encinitas
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