Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on March 16, 2011, to establish that employees of educational contractors under contract to school districts have the same ineligibilty as regular school employees for state unemployment benefits during the summer (when school is out)

The vote was 109 in favor, 0 opposed and 1 not voting

(House Roll Call 162 at House Journal 0)

Click here to view bill details.

They draw unemployment when on Summer vacation? WHY???

Why can't they keep working like us common folks?

 Jercommm,

You appear to be uninformed on a couple of things. First, employees who work through educational contractors (usually occupational therapists, physical therapists, social workers, psychologists and speech therapists) are generally given a 1 year contract for the duration of the school year. When the school year ends, these folks are most often then laid off for the summer. The contracted people I know move heaven and earth to find work for the summer. This legislation strips them of the ability to get unemployment benefits like every other laid off worker. Second, you seem to be under the mistaken impression that school employees do not work unless they are standing in front of children. That is not the case.

MichiganVoter:

Second, you seem to be under the mistaken impression that school employees do not work unless they are standing in front of children. That is not the case.

Amen! and thank you. I have taught private, alternative, and public middle-school and high-school for 18 years in Michigan. The work really begins after 3:00 pm when the kids go home - the school day itself flies by with 6 sets of students coming in and out of the room... Grading papers, planning, writing reliable and appropriate assessments, coaching, supervising events, gathering missed work for students having surgery, out sick, etc... Please, oh person who has never done this, try and do what we do just for a day, THEN you may continue with your attacks...

MichiganVoter:

Second, you seem to be under the mistaken impression that school employees do not work unless they are standing in front of children. That is not the case.

Amen! and thank you. I have taught private, alternative, and public middle-school and high-school for 18 years in Michigan. The work really begins after 3:00 pm when the kids go home - the school day itself flies by with 6 sets of students coming in and out of the room... Grading papers, planning, writing reliable and appropriate assessments, coaching, supervising events, gathering missed work for students having surgery, out sick, etc... Please, oh person who has never done this, try and do what we do just for a day, THEN you may continue with your attacks...

Some folks get put in a situation that they don't ask for. I started working for the school when I was married for a little extra cash and something to get me out of the house while my kids where in school. Then after 23 years of marriage my ex husband hits his 40's and he's gone with another woman. Here I am no skills never worked all the years of my marriage ( BY MY EX HUSBAND CHOICE!). I worked up to a union position in the Food Service Dept. from 1996 till 2007.Then along comes privatization. I was let go rehired by the private company at a cost of lower wages, no insurance, no retirement, less hours. My 9.6 years with the school frozen all I needed was 10 years to reach my tenure for retirement. The only perk threw all this was the fact since it was a private company I could collect unemployment. For all I lost that's all I gained. Now that's been stripped from me. I have worked just as hard as all the other common folks. My body has taken its toll. I didn't ask to have my job taken from me I would still be glad to work my 2 jobs I was working when I was employed with the school to cover the time off during the summer. But guess what I lost that other job to privatization too. So basically slammed down twice. And you ask why.

That is why the online education is the future. You won't be able to be fired so quickly as you can be fired at a normal school. earning your msn is easier than ever. I am not saying that this form of learning is easier, but it's certainly better for most of us. If I had the opportunity to go to school once again I would choose e-learning, but when I finished my studies it wasn't available this form of education. Too bad!