On the front page of this mornings Union Leader reporter Clyntnon Mamuo covers negotiations between the University of New Hampshire, and some 630 professors over their new contract. As is often the case with such things, there is some disparity between what the University feels is economically feasible and what the white-tower and it’s union representatives actually want.
Keep in mind that the article quotes inflation at around 0.5%, and we know that over the past few years the government method of calculating inflation overall have shown it almost flat. Using these figures along with what we know about pension issues and what Obamacare is doing to the cost of health insurance ‘the smartest people in the state’…
"…proposed a 12.5 percent pay increase, one percent of which would be merit-based, and no increase in health insurance premiums."
So the education establishment liberals in the university system think like the establishment progressives who ran up the state budget in the past four years. Screw the economy we deserve a huge raise. (The progressive political class gets their reward through a larger public sector union, which gives them money to try and keep them in office so they can rinse, lather and repeat.) And it is no surprise that they, democrats and educators, are fiscally (and ideologically) co-dependent.
The Universities produce the teachers, while progressive governments enact education requirements which support larger union populations who then frighten us with future generations of Dickensian-like illiterate street urchins doomed to pumping gas, asking if you’d like fires with that, or fighting in Iraq, if we don’t fork over more money for "quality" education. (Ignoring the legions of same we have now because of all the spending on ‘quality’ education.)
And for this privilege the profs want a 12.5% raise and free bennies. ‘Out of touch’ begins to take on a new meaning.
The University management was thinking of a smaller number, but one that in my opinion, is already too generous given the economic dynamics.
"The university is proposing a 6.5 percent pay raise, more than half of which would be merit-based, along with a 2 percentage point increase in how much professors pay for their health insurance and additional cash payments to offset any premium hikes."
One thing is certain. Professors are going to get some kind of raise, well in excess of what is probably reasonable. And this should serve as notice to the State government. If the university feels more than able to shoulder that kind of increase the state should not be responsible for providing any assistance to support a State system whose mission appears be to put the cost of tuition further out of reach in hope that taxpayers support can make up the difference, just to pander to an arrogant, clueless, education-industrial complex.
Image credit: Gadgetsteria
