My husband was traveling near Scranton, PA, and the big news of the night was that the teacher's union was posing a strike if the school district did not start paying the teacher's health insurance deductables. I was floored! I wonder what the union would think of the wonderful BCBS coverage in NC!

No doubt!!! Our benefits just keep going downhill. We need good health insurance coverage. Look at all the stress we're under.

I grow more amazed every day at the coverage we get as teachers. Just last week, I got a letter saying my allergy medication was moving from the $25 list to the $40 list. The letter encouraged me to just buy something over the counter instead of having a prescription. I don't know if I would support a union, but I wish we had more of a voice in matters such as this.

Everyone says teachers have such great benefits-yeah right! I stopped taking my allergy medicine because it is so expensive. I thinks we have some of the worst benefits as compared to other companies.

I can't just out and out say that it is a NC thing, but many states, including WV have much better insurance benefits for their teachers and school employees. My mom is a substitute teacher's assistant, and she is eligible for insurance. It is costing them $70 a month for a family of three---and remember she is not even a teacher. Coming from somewhere else, I think it is sad that NC is not taking care of their teachers!

NC is striving to be the best. You would think that maybe they would check to see how well other states are treating their teachers including salaries. Unions are a void word down here, but something needs to be. For 8 years now I have been hoping for a change. Not much yet.

My children are not even on my insurance policy because I can get better benefits and copays for them through a personal policy we took out on them. This seems to be a crime against NC teachers. I guess we need to be more vocal to our legislators. What else can we do?????

I really don't see why "Union" is such a taboo word in NC. A Right to Work State, according to what I've researched, does not mean that unions are not allowed. It means you can't be forced to pay dues and join a union if you don't want to. My sister in Michigan has to pay union dues, but she thinks it's worth it, because teachers are well represented there and have good benefits. There are unions in NC, so why don't we have one?

Instead of a union we have to count on representatives from NCEA and other educaitonal organizations to stand up to the NC representative and congress members and fight for wages and benefits. I watched a movie last night about coal miners in Virginia trying to form a union to get there benefits and I immediately thought of teachers. I feel like I'm already paying a dues to NCEA so I would much rather have a union that could really make an impact.

Just so you know, there are unions in NC. But they generally are for national companies and institutions. My dad is the president of the NFFE in the south eastern states (National Federation of Federal Employees) anything that comes up in discussion between myself and my mom (Broyhill employee) he begins preaching about the benefits of a union. And I must admit I see his point. His union has recently established a preventitive health program for its employees where they are paid to work-out/exercise for one hour a day on the clock. I would love this and would get more exercise and probably be healthier mentally.

Ya know it is pretty sad when we think about our insurance. Well most people say "Your lucky because your insurance is paid for you." Little do they know! While we were on the topic of medication---I was on a birth control pill until this past October. I had gotten a letter from the insurance company stating that they would no longer cover the cost of the pill above the co-pay. This was a shot to the heart since this is the only one that I have been able to take without all of the harsh side effects. This is awful since preventing pregnancy was not the only reason that I was on the pill. I had other medical problems. So now, unless I want to pass 85.00 per month, I am not getting my medicine. We do need someone who will listen to our concerns. What about other state employees--what is their insurance like?????