Once again, whatever good points you have (and you do have them) is mitigated by the overwhelming hatred you have for teachers. You paint all teachers with the same brush.
First of all, yes the ban on extra-curriculars was unfortunate. There's a decent argument for the obligation that teachers actually have to participate in for these extra-curriculars, but that's a debate for another day.My point is that right now, the debate is rather moot since extra-curriculars are back on and running at all (or the overwhelming majority) of schools. Many teachers did not want to cancel extra-cirriculars and some participated in defiance of their union. They did it because far from your rigid beliefs, a wide number of teachers actually like their jobs and work hard for their salaries. Their leadership decided on this ban and while many teachers supported it and towed the union line, a number did not, even if they followed the union's mandate. To blame all teachers for the actions of their union, particularly since the mandate was not unanimous is absurd. Also, as a negotiating tactic, the teachers did not have much else to use. We can argue until the cows come home about the need to cut salaries and benefits, and I do agree with you, but it is unrealistic and unfair to believe that the teachers union would accept the government's position unilaterally and without protest. It truly is unfortunate that kids got in the way, but there wasn't many silver bullets the union could have used to protest the government's decision. A ban on extra-curriculars was unfortunately one of them. To cram a rollback in salaries and benefits, however needed, down the throats of the teachers union that flies in the face of the agreement that was brokered in good faith by previous governments, and then point fingers when the union protests is unfair, and frankly, a tad undemocratic.
Also, and I have much respect for the police who IMHO are treated a bit unfairly on this board, in the past their union has issued job actions and protests as well. Some of these protests have included cutdowns on police patrols in high-crime areas, and the like. Again, I'm not criticizing these job actions, or blaming cops. I'm just saying for you to act like the teachers are the only ones who have used the public (even kids) as pawns in negotiation is intellectually dishonest.
I don't understand your last point at all, although I do agree with the 'putting lives on the line' point, and the 'summer off point' although again, the situation is not as clear-cut as you seem to think it is
I guess my overall point is that teachers are not the only public sector employees with great benefits who are providing a drain on the province's coffers. You say you understand that, but you continue to bang the teachers. Also that regardless of you say or think, all teachers are not the greedy caricatures who rub their hands with glee at their banked sick days and toast the poor saps who work in the private sector with bottles of champagne while counting their monies. And that letting cops or other public sector employees off the hook, despite their unions using the same practices that you deride the teachers for using, is pretty stupid.
