The collective conversation

There is now a national conversation under way in every state in the country -- a renewed attention on the question of collective bargaining for public employees. In fact, part of this national conversation is whether public employees should have the right to form unions at all.

It is a conversation in several state legislatures. It is also the subject of newspaper editorials, television commentary, radio talk shows, and table talk at Aunt Mary's Breakfast Diner. It is not just talk. The National Council of State Legislatures (www.nscl.org) database lists 892 bills in 46 different states that were aimed at public employee unions over the last two years. Nebraska had its share, too, including a proposal for a constitutional amendment to prohibit collective bargaining; changes to the Commission of Industrial Relations (the CIR), the entity that resolves public sector collective bargaining disputes; and legislation that addresses collective bargaining for cities, counties, and state employees. Why is there such attention on public employee unions?

The Myth About Collective Bargaining

The myth is that collective bargaining unreasonably raises salaries. Real growth in compensation, however, must be measured against increases in buying power. When I started teaching in 1970, I could buy 10 cans of tomato soup for $1. The price of a can of tomato soup today, at 75 to 80 cents, has increased 7½ times (or more!). Is a beginning teacher's salary today 7½ or more times larger than it was in 1970? No. It is what I call the Seward Paradox.

In 1970, the beginning salary for a teacher in Seward, Nebraska, was $6,400. A beginning teacher today would have to make $37, 838 to have the same buying power as a beginning teacher in 1970. Is that the beginning salary today in Seward? No. It is about $7,000 less. The paradox is that after 42 years of collective bargaining, beginning teachers in Seward have less buying power in real dollars than they did in 1970. The argument that collective bargaining has resulted in exorbitant salaries is false. The fact is that teacher salaries in most communities are barely keeping pace with inflation, or are falling behind.

The real question is this: how bad would the situation be for our teachers if we didn't have collective bargaining?

On Education Spending

Overall spending for education has increased more than three times the rate of inflation since 1970. But it isn't because of teacher salaries. Spending is not all on personnel. For example, to teach math in 1970, we needed a teacher, a room full of students, and some No. 2 pencils.

To teach math in 2012, however, we need all of the above, plus very expensive computers and specialized software. Overall education spending is several times the rate of inflation -- teacher salaries are less than inflation. We need to correct the misperception that collective bargaining has caused the increase in overall spending.

Public Value

Public employee unions help shape the quality of our public services. Teacher unions advocate for state aid to support the quality of our schools, for bus safety, a comprehensive curriculum, educational equity, modern school buildings, and virtually every other aspect of a quality education for our children. It is part of the value that public unions create in our neighborhoods.

Individual citizen voices are often lost in the debates about public schools and unions. The collective voice of our teachers is responsible for much of the legislation that supports quality education across our state. We know that education is a foundation of our economy. Do we stifle the voice of those experts who advocate for quality schools? Every citizen needs to join the conversation. Every citizen needs to advocate for what we know is true. Teachers and their collective voices have helped create and protect the quality of education in this state. If we lose that collective voice, we risk the damage that has been done to communities in other states.

Join the conversation. It is in everyone's collective interest.

Christiansen is executive director of the Nebraska State Education Association, founded in Brownville in August 1867, has nearly 28,000 members statewide.