Disasters in Slow Motion (pt. 27) - Dec 7, 2020

December 07, 2020 (16:50 GMT) - Actual Numbers vs. December 05, 2020 (21:12 GMT)
Worldwide Cases: 67,642,910 (+896,860)
Worldwide Deaths: 1,545,728 (+13,147)
Worldwide Mortality Rate: 2.29% (-0.01%)
Worldwide Mortality Rate (without US): 2.40% (-0.00 %)
US Cases: 15,182,520 (+254,435)
US Deaths: 289,058 (+1,748 )
US Mortality Rate: 1.90% (-0.02%)
US Total Recovered: 8,789,223 (+32,841)
Florida Cases: 1,058,074 (+8,436)
Florida Deaths: 19,177 (+93)
Florida Mortality Rate: 1.81% (-0.01%)
Florida Total Recovered: 672,375 (+2,349)

Let's talk about my home state of Florida. As you can see, the increase in new cases is outpacing the recovery rate at about 2 to 1. That means that additional steps should be taken. Our Governor though, he isn't taking ANY steps.

So, what does this mean for teachers? Teachers are considered both "essential workers" and "public employees" in the state of Florida. Our first round of vaccinations here in the state provides ZERO vaccinations for essential workers (with medical staff coming #2 on a list of 3 categories). Further, since the State ordered schools to return to classroom learning, there comes the issue of what to do with students infected with Covid-19. In some places, those students are kept at home but out this way?

A friend of mine is a teacher. In her classroom is a student to whom it has been recommended that he remain ten feet away from other students at all times. You see, he HAS Covid-19, but is still attending classes. My friend has no authority to refuse him from her classroom.

You might ask yourself, why would teachers stand for this sort of thing? The answer is simple, they have no choice. You see, in the year of the first ever teacher's strike in Florida, the Florida State Constitution was amended with article I section 6.

SECTION 6. Right to work.—The right of persons to work shall not be denied or abridged on account of membership or non-membership in any labor union or labor organization. The right of employees, by and through a labor organization, to bargain collectively shall not be denied or abridged. Public employees shall not have the right to strike.

Remember how I mentioned that teachers are "public employees"? Teachers going on strike in Florida face a slew of potential penalties under Florida statutes. These include...

• Individual contempt of court fines of $50-$100/day per teacher
• Union contempt of court fines of up to $5,000/day
• The Union being forced to pay emergency expenses of the school district (which would include hiring expenses and any salary overages from normal)  
• Immediate termination of striking teachers
• Suspension or decertification of the union.
• An addition union fine of $20,000+/day for costs to the public (separate from costs to the district)

How horrific is that? Teachers, the backbone of our society - already underpaid and underappreciated, cannot even stand up for themselves when they are placed in danger by the actions of a school district. That needs to change.

Meanwhile, Governor "Death-Santis" swears that reopening the schools was in the best interest of the students.  We know it wasn't about the students, it was about freeing up parents to go to work while he rushed our economy into opening. I've previously covered how Florida did not meet the requirements for phase 1 reopening when DeSantis opened the state. Now we are in a downward spiral and he is still doing nothing.

I cannot speak for other states but, in Florida, our elected officials have abandoned us.