Pa. lawmakers pushing to ban teachers' strikes; unions balk

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-10152007-1424037.html

By MARTHA RAFFAELE
The Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. - In the face of powerful union opposition, some state lawmakers are agitating to build support for legislation that would ban teacher strikes in Pennsylvania , a move they say would end the state's distinction as a leader in teacher walkouts.

Proposals that were introduced during the 2005-06 legislative session went nowhere, but proponents of the idea are hoping to spur greater public pressure this time by linking the issue to rising property taxes, a chronic complaint among the state's homeowners.

An organization called Stop Teacher Strikes Inc. has compiled a list of all 253 legislators on its Web site and noted whether they were endorsed by and received campaign contributions from the state's largest teachers' union, the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

"What we're trying to do is rally the public," said the organization's founder, Simon Campbell, a resident of the Pennsbury School District in suburban Philadelphia.

Campbell appeared Monday at a news conference with a handful of House Republicans who are sponsoring a bill and a related constitutional amendment that would make walkouts by educators illegal.

The bill would force teachers to forfeit two days' pay for each day of a strike, fine individuals $5,000 for inciting a strike, and require nonbinding arbitration to resolve contract disputes within a certain time frame.

FULL story at link.

[MnFats]

1. take away teachers' right to strike and...what have they got left...

..to give them an equal footing?
...anybody wanna bet that grover norquist types are behind this?
...he thinks he's almost got public education into the bathtub already