Dear Editor,
This is a response to Lorraine Aldrich’s letter published in the Sept. 23 edition of the Merritt Herald.
Firstly, everyone gets a raise, even people who work for minimum wage at a restaurant, warehouse or retail store. Ask a teacher when their last raise was. That’s right, they didn’t get one. They got a 10 per cent pay cut with no warning and no reason. Secondly, do you really think that every teacher lives outside their means?
If you had read anything about the reason for the strike, you would know that the money for themselves was a very small part. Most of the conflict is about educational assistants and tutors. Teachers spend a lot of their personal money and time on their work — more than you could imagine. They buy books, art supplies and Kleenex from their pockets. Did you think of that?
Everyone deserves a raise. It is a show of appreciation from your employer. Our teachers have been overworked and underpaid and accused of greed for far too long. By saying our teachers don’t deserve a raise and that the way they have been treated is OK, you are saying the students of this province don’t deserve an education that is up to federal standards. Is that what you are saying?
I completely agree that veterans and seniors need more in the way of aid, support and recognition. These issues are incomparable. The needs of each group differ so vastly that to mention them in the same letter is ridiculous. And trust me, nurses are next on the provincial government’s hit list. Maybe after the nurses are forced to strike you will see the truth.
Every person deserves the chance to explore their unique potential. If you think teaching a classroom and managing 20 to 30 kids all day is easy or that dealing with dementia patients who lash out is minimum wage work, by all means, offer your services for minimum wage. I’m sure Christy Clark will gladly take you.
These professions require special skills and education. And we need to pay accordingly.
Lindsay Fehr
Merritt
