Fourth Day of the Hayward Teachers' Strike

The Alameda Central Labor Council should expand the strike to the Teamsters who deliver supplies, the classified personnel who maintain the physical grounds of the school, and if necessary, the City of Hayward workers, unionized hospital workers in the area, and so forth. An injury to one is an injury to all and the sooner more workers are involved, the pressure on the school district will be that much greater to sign the union contract. The unions should also demand that the schools be paid for by taxing the rich by raising the progressive income tax on the rich (those who make over $200,000 a year) at the state level. This routine of the school district claiming to be poor because it does not receive enough revenue from property taxes, etc. has to end. The answer to the School Board negotiators as to the source of money must be GO TO THE LEGISLATURE AND GET THE MONEY FROM THE GENERAL FUND NOW. We do not need prisons; we need schools right now. Teachers, who must have a college degree, should START AT $80,000 a year. One needs $120,000 a year to buy a house, a necessary condition for raising a family. Until we have a national healthcare system paid for with our tax dollars, the State of California should pay for the teachers' healthcare. California is a very wealthy state with lots of millionaires and billionaires, so taxing the rich will make our schools and teachers very wealthy indeed, and the sooner, the better.