It's night side who Dan Ray, I'm WBS Costin's Radio.
All right, welcome back, everybody. It's a little bit after nine o'clock on a Friday night. It is Friday, November eighth, those of you who are keeping score, and the election is behind us, and I think we all should be happy for that. However, it worked out because if you remember twenty twenty, at this time, we were all trying to figure out who had won. It looked as if
Joe Biden had won, but it wasn't official. It wasn't made official that Biden had won until Saturday, Saturday afternoon, if my memory is correct, and I think it is so, it seems we talked about this last night. Seems to have been settled. It was decisive. We talked about last night, and we may get back to some of that tonight at ten o'clock, because that, I know is on people's minds, and I do hope you talk about it over Thanksgiving, but we'll talk about that, I'm sure before Thanksgiving. Just
take a big deep breath that he can exhale. Can you imagine if right now it was you know, there were a couple of states out and one was at two sixty four, and one was at two sixty three, and it was depending upon hanging jads or votes. Anyway, enough of that, I want to talk about the teachers strike, and I want to put it in some context, okay, And I am going to tell you that probably some of the things that I'm going to say are not going to make teachers happy. But that's not my job
here at Nightside. My job is to generate some conversation and make people think about a subject matter. And the subject matter at this point is the families, the children and the families and the parents of people who live in the three communities north of Boston which are now affected by teacher strikes in some form of fashion. And we're talking about Marblehead, which has been on strike or
is on strike, Gloucester and Beverly. Marblehead is the latest to join, and I guess technically they're not quite on strike yet, but they released a statement tonight which I'll read a little bit here just to get a sense of fairness to them. Massachusetts Marblehead Education Association votes to authorize strike effective Tuesday if no agreement is reached over the holiday weekend. So we can't say that they're all
on strike. But the local president up there said our schools are in crisis, and the educators of Marblehead have collectively said enough is enough. After seven months of negotiations, we're no closer to a solution and the school committee has failed to recognize the urgency of the situation. Our schools need fear wages. Okay, it's not the schools who get the wages. It's the teachers who get the wages and the administrators. But that's okay, that's euphemisms safe working conditions.
I didn't realize that it was dangerous to work in Marblehead schools if there are problems with the safety that needs to be addressed and adequate resources to meet the needs of our students, and I don't know what that means. Are there are they lacking supplies, you know, paper, computers? I don't know. And because of their refusal, I assume it's referencing the school committee. We must take action to
protect the future of our community. Okay, they talk about the starting salary for kindergarten pair of professionals is currently eighteen thousand, three hundred and thirty eight dollars, and our tutors who provide critical services for special education students earn only twenty seven thousand dollars a year, and then the committee's refusing to allow us our existing to access our existence, bereavement, lee for pregnancy loss. It is beyond the pale and
they should be ashamed. Well again, this is a statement from the teachers Union in Marvel Head. Here's the deal, and I'm interested in hearing from you, those of you who live in Newton. You went through a teacher strike last January, and my recollection is that that teacher strike lasted nearly three weeks, three weeks after school vacation, after the holiday vacation, Christmas vacation, and they were back in school for a few days and then out on strike.
I remember at the time that the mayor up there, Ruth inn was very, very extremely upset. Ruth Iann Fuller. She's longtime mayor of Newton and considered, you know, supportive generally of public education. She's a pretty progressive Democrat. Not that there's any Republicans who could become mayor of Newton. That's a very democratic city. And the parents had they
were caught unawares. There are a lot of families that need two jobs uh to uh to to pay the property taxes in a city like Newton, or a city like marble a town like Marblehead or or Beverly or or Gloucester. UH that the salaries of the school department is paid for by the in those towns. There's there's not a lot of commercial industry in any of those towns, but there's no consideration of what are the parents going to do? As I mentioned to Nicole Davis during the
during the eight o'clock hour, UH. In days gone by, there always was a nuclear family nearby. Siblings, you know, brothers, you know, adults, brothers and sisters, and you could leave a child or two child or two children over with a sibling with their with their cousins or they're all out of school or whatever. Maybe they might have and some aunts or some grandmothers or grandfathers. Well, today people live quite far away. Families are the nuclear family is
quite different than it was once. But there's very little consideration given to the parents. And I honestly believe, and I know that the teachers unions aren't gonna happy happy for me to say this. I honestly believe that this is about the teachers' salaries, and it's they talk about the students. But just think about this, the relationship. If you're a student and the teachers are saying, will you go outside with us and join the picket line? If
you're a student, what are you going to say? Okay? I mean you don't have a lot of choice. You don't have as a student because obviously you want to be good to your teachers and you hope your teachers will be good to you. So I think that there should be a law which would say that students should not be allowed to be even asked or participate in a picket line. It should be between the school committee
and the teachers' unions. That's number one. No students should be put in that situation because it's a very awkward situation, and very few students are going to say no, my parents do not agree with this strike. They want me to be in school and they do not want me
to be in pickoline. So that's number one. Number two, the Massachusetts Teachers Association is feeling pretty feisty these days because they were the motivating force that has now eliminated the MCAST test requirement for graduation that went down to
defeat as one of the ballot questions on Tuesday. I suspect that the next step by the Teachers Association will be to eliminate the mandatory m CAST testing in the third grade and the fifth grade and the eighth grade before the big test that students need to pass with by the way, I think five chances to pass that test. But but that issue is now moot, so we'll leave
it alone. And you have a very strong teachers union here, and if you want to go to the Department of Education website, there is a website where they list all of the average salaries of teachers in Massachusetts cities and towns, and you can go and see what teachers are making
in your cities and towns. And the teachers' unions always talk about the para professionals, But when they negotiate and they get the ten percent rays over two years or whatever it is, fifteen percent raise over three or whatever it is, the percentages apply generally across the board, so that the teacher who's making one hundred thousand dollars, when they get that five percent raise, they go to one hundred and five thousand dollars. That pair of professional who's
making twenty thousand dollars. When they get that five percent raise, they get an extra thousand dollars because it's on a percentage basis. So I'd love to know what you think. Do you think the teachers' unions it's illegal for teachers' unions to strike, just as it is illegal for police unions and for fire unions and for public safety unions
to strike. Do you think that these teachers' unions should pay a higher price, meaning that they should be told if you do strike, we will have a penalty that will be automatic, which cannot be renegotiated when the agreement is made, because the judge can say we're going to find you ten thousand dollars a day. And at the end of the strike, when they come to a final agreement, the teachers' union, I assume, can then say to the city or town, look, as part of this agreement, we
want you to forgive the strike, forgive the fines. Now. I don't know if that's possible, but I suspect it
probably does happen. And maybe once these judges say, oh no, we're going to find you ten thousand dollars a day, ten thousand dollars a day or twenty thousand dollars a day or whatever it is, and you stayed out for three weeks, the union has to come up with the money, and obviously in the only place they're going to come up with the money either is from the Teachers' Union writ large, meaning the Teachers Union of Massachusetts, or from the specific union that was fined. So I'd love to
hear from you. You don't have to live in Marblehead, Gloucester or Beverly to be in this set of circumstances. The other thing I want to add is to the best of my knowledge, and I stand to be corrected. I always stand to be corrected here on night side. I do not believe that any people who are teachers in Massachusetts have ever been dragooned to become a teacher. They have not been drafted. There's no compulsory teacher service. All of them made a decision at some point that
was the career they wanted to choose. Now, they probably knew that they would not make a million dollars a year. They would not be making salaries commensurate with what professional athletes or maybe doctors or warriors are making. That's a decision they made teachers' unions. Again, they work very hard, but but they have probably a lot more vacation time
than most people. So it's a lifestyle choice. It's a vocation that they chose, and to strike in the middle of a school year, in my opinion, is unfeared of the students, and it's also unfair to the parents of those students and the guardians of those students because when the schools are closed, the students have to be housed somewhere during the day other than the school. I'm going to open up the phone lines. If you're a taxpayer,
you have a dog in this fight. If you're a teacher and you want to tell me why I'm so wrong, bring it on. Six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty, six one seven, nine, three one ten thirty, triple eight nine two, nine, ten thirty. We're going to talk about this until ten o'clock. So if you want to get in dial now, we're coming back on Nightside.
Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World NIGHTSID Studios on WBZ News Radio.
All right, I have just checked during the break on the average teacher salaries in Beverly, Gloucester and Marblehead for the year twenty twenty to twenty twenty one. If you like to check on this, here's the website profiles dot DOE, which stands for Department of Education dot massmass dot edu slash State Report slash Teacher Salaries, so you can find
it pretty easily. Profiles dot DOE for Department of Education dot m ASS from Massachusetts dot edu slash State Reports slash teacher salaries in the year twenty twenty to twenty twenty one, that is now four years ago. In Beverly, the average teacher salary eighty four thousand, seven hundred and sixty five dollars. I suspect there's at least one contract cycle in between there, so it's probably bigger than that. More than that Gloucester eighty six thousand, three hundred and
sixty dollars. Again, that is the average salary according to the Massachusetts Department of Education in Marblehead eighty four thousand, three hundred and sixty five dollars. So between these three towns, the one that pays the teachers as of twenty twenty one the most was Gloucester. Both Beverly and Marblehead are a couple thousand dollars less. So eighty six, eighty four, eighty four. Those are the teacher salaries in twenty twenty to twenty in the school year twenty twenty to twenty
twenty one. Let's see what people have to say here. We're gonna go to Ginny. Who's first up? Ginny is in Boston, Ginny, I could care less on what side of the argument is that you're on, but I'd love to hear your point of view. Welcome to night Sider.
Thank you. So what I want to clarify is that you mentioned about the power of professionals. Yes, they are not in the same union as the teachers. So when the teachers get a raised, they don't get a raised. I think you said that they do get a raised.
Yeah. Well here's what my well, here's what my understanding is. I don't know exactly what. I know that in Newton the teachers were arguing all along that the power of professionals needed to be more highly compensated. The teachers in new absolutely make like ninety one thousand dollars. This is four years ago. These are the stats from four years ago. I'm sure the average salary is now over one hundred thousand dollars in Newton. Okay, it should be well, that's fine,
maybe it should be two hundred thousand dollars. Okay, But I guarantee you, as a consumt t once of that negotiation in Newton, that there were similar wage increases given to the para professionals in Newton, because if that didn't happen, then it would have been a total sham for the teachers to use the underpaid para professionals as their argument for increases for the better paid teachers. If you understand what.
I'm saying, I think they argued so that the para professionals could get more money because they deserve more money. As you said, some of them only make eighteen thousand dollars a year. I mean, they don't have the whole loads that teachers have, but they work hard and they're there from I'm not distributing that, but.
But are you Are you trying to tell me that when the unions go on strike, threatened strike, or whatever, and they negotiate and they finally get let us say, let's let's be let's be conservative, and let's say they a ten percent increase over three years. Let's keep it simple. You're telling me that the par of professionals, who may not be in the union, but they but the union negotiates on their behalf. The par of professionals also get
a ten percent raise. If that's what the teachers are getting.
No, I think you're dead.
Wrong because at that point, the.
Par of professionals are in their own union. They're not in the union. What's the teachers?
Well, why why aren't they?
I don't know, why aren't they?
Actually?
Well, all I can.
Tell you is this is that the teachers are Here's what is really sad. The teachers are using the low salaries that are being paid to the pair of professionals. They're trying to use that as an argument for the teachers to get more money, because that's what they're doing. Would you agree with that?
No, I don't agree with that.
Of course you are.
That's fine.
Why don't you agree with that? Why don't you agree with that?
Because I think the teachers are for themselves and not for the power professionals.
Well, well, they're using the para professionals. They're using the pair of professionals because when they quote the the the less, the smaller the money. If you say, okay, there's someone who's a para professional and most people don't understand what that means. But they're working full time at the school.
Are a teacher aide, you might call it a teacher aig.
You know what it is, right, But what I'm saying, I'm saying we the people understand, well, that's fine, but they are making they're making twenty three thousand dollars a year. Hypothetically, the average person is going to say, look, you can make twenty three thousand dollars flipping burgers at McDonald's and.
They like to be with children, and some people like that. You know, people want to be compensated.
So well, I'm trying to figure out where you are you a teacher or are you a para professional?
I'm not neither.
Okay, so at all?
You see, you know all why I work in education? While I worked in education.
What did you do in education?
I don't. I don't want to tell you. And it's thirty six years Yeah, okay, so you were.
You were in education and you don't want to tell me.
But that's okay, No I don't that's I don't have to.
No, no, no, don't. I don't have you in the witness stand Here. I'm simply asking you questions because I want to qualify you so that people will know of your credibility. Okay, what I'm saying to you is, if the teachers really are concerned in Gloucester, Marblehead, in Beverly about the low pay of the para professionals, they should go to the to the school committee and say, look, we're pretty well paid, we don't need an increase right now, but can you give some money to these poor pair
of professionals. I then would be on the picket line with the teachers saying they're doing the right thing by the para professionals. They're using the pair of professionals. They're using the para professionals to generate sympathy for their strike. That's what they're doing.
Well they may be, they may be, but you know what they deserve the raise. Who is going to say more than eight hours a day with twenty one, twenty two twenty three children, is anybody?
What about the.
People in the business world, what are they making you have to look at that.
I mean, let me ask you this, what did selective service drag these teachers? Did they draft the teachers. If they did, I was not aware of that.
It takes a special person to be a teacher. Nobody drafted them.
Good well, they all chose the profession, you know, Jinny, Now you're exposing your bias a little bit. They chose a profession. Okay, there are people who I know who have chosen professions in which they're dedicated, et cetera. All I'm just saying is, you want to go out on strike, go out on strike. But let's talk about how much money you make and let the average person who in
the town of Beverly or Gloucester or Marblehead. They're going to see there, and particularly by the way, older folks on fixed incomes are going to see their real estate taxes increased dramatically. Thank you for your career in education, and thank you for your perspective which whatever you did in education, thank.
You, thank you as well.
Good night, good night, we'll keep.
It rolling here on night side. Uh. The fairly simple concept there. If you're making one hundred k as a teacher, and you're going to use as an example the para professional who's making twenty eight thousand dollars, you know you can forgold maybe an increase, and you can say the union, the teachers union, can say, let's take care of the para professionals. They're the ones who are really they're helping us, they're making our job easier. Let's take care of them.
But I don't hear the Teachers' union saying that six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven nine three one ten thirty. Look, there's a lot of benefits to being a teacher. Okay, there's security, there's a pension. A lot of people who work now in the private sector there's no more pensions in private sector. You can put your own money away and hope that the stock market doesn't crash. Feel free, join the conversation, whatever your point of view. Jinny was fine.
I'm delighted she called. I wish she might have shared with us exactly what she did in education, But that's fine. Uh, we'll be back on Nightside right after the break the news here at the bottom of the hour.
You're on Nightside with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
Okay, let's keep rolling. John in Boston. John, you next on Nightside, Welcome, sir, go right ahead.
Oh nice, Jan, Just a couple of things, Dan I know the teachers basically they get two months off out of the because I've known teachers that worked other jobs during that period of time it made a substantial amount
of income, so they're not working a full year. But also some of the things that concern me, Dan is if they are using basically they call them power teachers, para professionals whatever, by basically it's part time teachers that they're including dear low income and with the income of full time teachers, use that as a excuse of not getting paid enough. They're kind of given a mean average that isn't really fair. And again, you.
Know what the fairness here in fairness? What the numbers that I've given you, and I hope you were listening, that the average teacher as of twenty twenty the school year twenty twenty one in Beverly eighty four thousand and seven sixty five, in Gloucester eighty six thousand and three sixty in Marblehead eighty four thousand and three sixty five. That's based upon statistics from a page out of the
Department of Education Massachusetts state report. Again, the para professionals, the school aids, whatever phrase, the people you would like to use. They're not included in that. So, if let's say there's a teacher in the classroom, the average salary for the teacher's eighty six thousand dollars, and that if the para professional is making twenty five thousand dollars, that whole classroom, it's a it's a cost to the taxpayers
of eighty six plus twenty five. So you know that classroom that is more like one hundred and ten thousand dollars in terms of salary. The teachers are basically pointing at the para professionals and saying they're underpaid. They probably are because they make it twenty five thousand dollars. But the teachers aren't saying give them an increase. They say, we want an increase, and I'll give them an increase too.
So they are including I'm a little confused that the para professionals they're not working full time for that low amount of They yes, they are, I mean there's a paraprofliction part time teachers.
No, well, in some cases they could be. No, they're not part time teachers. There's somebody who maybe doesn't have a teaching certificate, has graduated from college and is going to get another degree or whatever, or maybe they're maybe it's difficult. There's there's a lot of school systems that there are no teacher openings because it's being a teacher is a good job. It's an important job, and it's
a job to which a lot of people ascribe. Nobody is dragging teachers, kicking and streaming screening into buildings to become teachers. They all have chosen that career as a vocation. And if they can't, if they're really that unsatisfied with the with the salary they meet, if it's salary that's driving them, they need to think about maybe a different profession. But most of them want to work there, and most of them, you know, a looking for a pay raise.
Everyone wants to see a pay raise. Obviously with inflation, we understand that, but at what cost? And why is it that parents are basically told, hey, you've got to take care of your kids next week as we're going on strike, and the parents are saying, wait a sec, I got a job. My husband, you know, the the wife's got a job, the husband's got a job. We need two salaries in order to pay the real estate taxes in this community, they kind of caught between the
rock and hard place, John, is what I'm saying. The victims here really are the parents and the guardians of the students. Who who when the teachers are on strike, who takes care of the students?
Exactly that. I mean a couple of months ago, I've met two different fifth grade teachers. One of these is really undisturbing. It's a little bit off the subject, but still she was teaching a fifth grade teacher as students and there's a girl in her class identify as a cat and there's nothing. She went to the prisconal said, I want to call the girl's mother. The prison wouldn't let her call the mother. And another teacher had the same type of problem.
That's a whole different John.
That is a little long, I know, but what they're teaching the kids and now they're on strike on top of that kind of thing, right.
And those decisions, those decisions John, okay, are probably imposed by the political leaders in different communities and be the school administrators and the teaching.
Yeah, it is. It's coming down from the states in the government.
What I'm saying is you can't blame a teacher for that. If a teacher is called. Just as if you're in the military and uh and they tell you, hey, you got to uh, you know, go to the mess hall and you're on miss hall duty, or you got to go fix that truck that's that's not working. Or worst case scenario, you're in a combat zone and they say, hey, get your machine, get your gun, we got to take that hill over there. It's kind of what you sign up for. You got to do it or you're going
to be in You're going to be in problem. I mean, if all of a sudden a teacher decides to do something, you're taking me down a rabbit hole. I don't want to go here, John, I just want to stay.
On the get I'm saying, is someone told me to tell you to that, then I would leave teachers bottom line. I don't know, Dad, it's a financial issue, but uh, it's especially in these hot economic times going on a strike and you're going to strike against.
Well, I mean it's illegal, Okay, it's it's illegal, And when it's all said and done, the union will pay some fines. But I think the fines that they charge the union should be a little bit more costly, and they should make it clear that we're not going to abate those fines. If you stay out for a couple of weeks like they did in Newton, all those fines are going to be collected. You know, you know, we're
playing for real here. We're the only and if if the teachers union stays out, at some point they have to consider saying to the leaders of the teachers' union, you've got to tell these teachers to go back to Striker. You're going to be in contempt of court. And you know what the what the implications of that are, John, I got to run.
Thank you much, take it, thank you.
Let me keep going here. I want to try to get as many folks in as I can. Love to hear from you. If you're up in a Beverly glocester or marblehead, and if you're courageous and you're afraid people won't recognize your voice. Next up is Beatrice in Bridgewater. Beatrice in Bridgewater, You're next on Nightside.
Welcome, Welcome, thank you. I have a different perspective because I used to work in the main office in a regional school, and I know that every year the schools would take it more and more special needs students because the state pays the more to take those students, and those are the students that the para professionals are with every day. The para professionals are working with students with special needs, with behavior problems, and I will tell you they do not get enough money.
But I'm not going to disagree with you on that right.
But I'm going to tell you something. I worked twenty two years in the private sector, and I have a pension from that job. I worked eleven years in the school system, and my pension from there for half the time is more than twice what it is from the private sector. So there are a lot of benefits. But us administrations of the school take more and more of these children with problems, and the prayer professionals are with them,
and they do not get enough pay. Now, we had one student at our school who was in a wheelchair, who could not even feed himself, and he had a para professional with him from the time he came into that school until he got on his van to leave. And that's all she did all day was with this one student.
And guess what those let's let's I just want to keep the focus clearly here. First of all, interesting points you made about your pension, You're right there. You worked in the private sector a long time ago. If you've got a pension, because pensions have been eliminated in the private sector. Public pensions are different stories. Those are are very.
Very generous, very lucrative.
Very well, I'll say generous. You say lucrative. Okay, fair enough, you say tomato. I'll say to my okay, however, I want to see that child who has special needs. I want him to him or her to be taken care of, and I want them to be able to be mainstreamed if possible. I know what the lingo is, and I get all of that, and God forbid that your family or my family would have to deal with a child who has significant special needs. And that's sort of what
we do as a society. It's almost like an insurance contract. It's like we say, Okay, everybody's going to pay a little more in their taxes and we will provide what the best we can as a society for people who really need some help. No one, no one objects to that, okay. And if the para professionals are not being treated well enough,
compensated well enough, let's increase their salaries. But what bothers me is that the teachers' unions in Massachusetts, who are making pretty good money if you go to this Department of Education website.
Most oh, I heard you say that, and I agree the teacher money paraprofessionals, right.
But what I'm saying is the teachers' union basically around on strike, they ask the kids to show up outside at the rallies, which I don't think is important. That puts the child of the student in a very awkward position because that no child is going to have the backbone to say, gee, I think you're asking me something which is inappropriate. But they love to have the students.
We're doing it for the students, and the kids are out there because they have a day offer school and they get to make some signs and all of that. There's a lot of things about it which bothered me. It's as simple as that. And I also think that that if teachers' unions are not doing a good enough job negotating for the teachers, then at that point, let's get the legislature involved and let's let's pass some piece of legislation which requires the cities and towns to go
ahead and charge people more money. I mean, the disruption that's going to occur in these three communities potentially is unfair. It's unfair to the parents who basically build their lives around the idea that kids are going to be in school. Beatrice, I'm past my break.
I hate Okay, I just wanted to give you a different point of view. Because they need more para professionals, and they need the para professionals need more money.
I agree with you, and I think that the teachers should basically say, hey, look we're doing pretty well. If there is some extra money, let's spread them amongst the para professionals.
Exactly.
Thank you, great night. Take a very quick break. I got three calls. Some of you are a little late here, but I'm going to try to get all of you in. So Louis, Susan and Jamie work with me here. I'll get you all in. I don't think we're going to have time for any other calls, so we're going to switch topics at ten o'clock. You should have called earlier. Coming back on night.
Side now back to Ray live from the Window World night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Okay, going to try to get everybody in here. Susan and Hingham Susan next on Nightsiger right.
Ahead, Hey Dan, just wanted to point something out.
Yep.
You gotta remember teachers only work one hundred and eighty two days in a year, and if you're making eighty five thousand a year, you're making four hundred and sixty.
Dollars a day. You've got right.
But all these vacations.
No, no, in fairness to the teachers. And I want to be fear to the teachers. I'm being pretty critical. I think the point you make is a good one. But at the same time, they do spend some time I'm sure of getting ready for the school year during the summer and all of that. So you know, I mean again, it's yeah, did they they chose this profession. That's they chose this profession. You know. I agree with you.
I'm agreeing with you. I'm saying, but I don't want to beat them over the head with It's what I'm trying to say.
No, you have to beat them over the head because they shouldn't no nothing, they shouldn't, like you said, they shouldn't be out of school for any reason at all, And they still get paid. Even though they're on strike, they still get paid and they're not working. If even if, even if they didn't strike and they didn't have a contract and they're still negotiating, they still maintain their benefits and everything from the contract that expired. It's just you know, continues, Okay,
So there's no reason for them to strike. They're still getting paid. It doesn't like expiring.
By the way, you don't get a paycheck anymore.
No, no idea came on them for disrupting a child's education. You know, I'm sorry, but they're in it for the money. They're greedy grabbers, I can say it. They're greedy grabbers because it's all on the tax payers. And their pensions end up being eighty percent of the last three years.
They're bigger the teacher pensions. It's a good pension. It's a good pension. Susan, thank you. I'm gonna jammy a little bit on time here because they got two other folks to get in as well. But appreciate your call, you know that. Keep calling the program. You made a lot of sense, you too. Take it easy. Let me go next to Jamie in Chilms for Jamie. Your next one nights.
I go right ahead, Kay Dan Jas listen every night every night, but I don't always call it. The only other time I called was on your most recent Mother's Day episode. I wanted to give a shout out to my grandmother.
Well, what's your thought on this, Jamie.
I feel very frankly that I totally understand the conservative point of view here, but I just want to bring up the fact that the whole idea of the Americans with Disabilities Act was brought about by Republicans and is
rooted so much more deeper throughout disability history. And so I think tonight brings up your two guest begers thing up a cool just the point where we have this idea of military protections and protecting our veterans, and so basically, how do we bring that about out with the contractors and the extra services such as the para professionals who are bringing upon these extra charges, and then how are they fitting all into this idea of people who don't
live here versus who's in charge with the administration. How is that structured and the pushing pull of the union. Does that make sense?
Well, the kids you're getting in a couple of other issues here, in terms of the students who have come here with families, migrant families, and they're here and they are going to be educated. I just want to focus on the union goes out on strike, they encourage the kids to walk the picket line with them or here at demonstrations, and the people who are really feeling the burden of the parents who are trying to work in order to make enough money so they can pay all
their taxes. And now what do they do with their kids when the strike is on. I mean, they weren't told three weeks ago we're going to have a strike in early.
November, right, And so what is the question though, is are you saying why did this come about?
I guess so.
I'm just reminding everyone because I think it's a uniting issue that comes brings in all those other points together where in between.
I do understand the point you made, Jamie, and I'm very happy that you called. And uh, and I want you to call more often. Okay, but I gotta excuse me, I gotta jump to one more call here before the hour's up. Yeah, no, thank you, Thanks Jamie, talk to you soon. Lewis and Wilmington. Lewis, You're going to wrap the hour first, go right ahead, Lewis.
Yeah, I blame the town managers from these communities that has gone this flop, and so at this point later on the communities need to remember these people that are running their town business are failing at this. The other thing is the teachers union shouldn't plan to strike before school started, not in the middle of the season now which there is a law, so it needs. Union leaders need to be arrested or order your people back to work.
You did this at the wrong time and this classes must continue.
Yeah, I would agree with that point. I think I don't think they need to be arrested, but I think they get called into court and they're told, hey, look, you're the leaders of this. You have to tell your union members to go back to work, because we're not only going to find the union, but we're going to hold you in contempt of court if you're if your
membership doesn't. This is such an incredible look Lewis. Last winter in Newton, last January, I think the teachers union was out on strike for like fourteen days, nearly three weeks. I mean in the middle of the school year. That was horrific. The Teachers' Union is basically flexing their muscle politically. They flexed it politically on getting rid of the mcast test, and we're going to see more of this and affecting more communities unless some judge or some group steps up
and says this cannot stand. If you want it, if you want to walk out, if you want to threaten to strike, do it in August, do it in July on your own time. Don't do it in the time of the students. I think you made a great point.
Okay, good night now, Kevin, great.
Knight, Lewis, appreciate the call. Okay, well, the folks who are just calling now. Unfortunately we're out of time. So when we get back, we're going to talk about the Democratic Party. Did they need to regroup after this horrific political result on Tuesday night? From the Democratics. From the Democratic Party's point of view, they lost the Senate, they lost the White House, and I think they will continue to be in the minority in the House of Representatives.
And Seth Moulton, a cognitis from Massachusetts, made some comments in The New York Times, which has generated a lot of controversy. We hope to have Seth Moulton on with us sometime next week. But I think the point that he made from a political point of view, although he's taking a lot of heat for tonight, makes a lot of sense. I'll explain why right after the ten o'clock News