Class Diary: Engage RI

Upon reading the article "Unions spotlight salaries, contracts of opponents in RI pension war", many issues discussed in class became quite clear. The largest state employees union is currently taking a stance against an organization called Engage RI which has been raising awareness to the issue and pushing pension reform. Upon further examination into this pension reform debate, Engage RI's website seems promising. The website addresses issues such as Rhode Island's retirement system having a deficit of seven billion dollars. In fact, Rhode Island has the least funded retirement system per capita in the United States. It seems that Engage RI would be great leaders for the reform; giving higher pensions to state employees such as teachers and construction workers who deserve retirement benefits for the work they put into making our state a better place. However, the website is vague and states that Engage RI "has a plan", but does not state their plan anywhere in the website.

I then decided to look up some more information about the pension reform and Engage RI as it seemed that the Projo article "Unions spotlight salaries, contracts of opponents in RI pension war" was pointing out flaws in the organization. "Ed Cooney, the Nortek vice-president who co-chairs EngageRI, earned $595,000 in total compensation last year, co-chair Margaret Holland McDuff, the CEO of Family Service of Rhode Island, $187,000, and Crossroads Rhode Island president Anne Nolan, $150,033" (Gregg, Projo). It is no wonder why we have a deficit in pensions if the co-chair of the organization makes well over half a million dollars a year, and the president of a homeless shelter is making the salary of about seventeen teachers.

The Projo article "At the hearing: RI teachers say their pensions have been 'targeted'" states that Engage RI has been pushing for an increase in teachers' retirement to the age of 67. This is an absurd age to retire! While many teachers do teach up to 67, it should not be a requirement. Teaching may seem like an easy job to an outsider, but the duties consist of long hours, hard labor, and dedication to every student. When teachers are off the clock, they are still grading papers, creating curriculums, or coaching sports teams.

We are not a nation where we encourage "working til the death" as that is not a free nation. Engage RI's reforms seem to go against everything this country stands for, although their purpose is cloudy. It is a crisis of our nation when those protecting the working, lower, and middle class are those of the upper class. This is why the rich keep getting richer, and the poor, poorer. We need to protect the citizens who protect us. The teachers who enable us to see the light in learning; the construction workers who pave the roads at 4am so we do not have to dodge potholes on our morning commutes.