In their position, would we be expected to save either?
A significant minority on this board share your same opinion about government-funded pensions with COLAs. No matter how difficult or costly the sacrifice...
"Wimps"? My goodness. I'd think that most teachers, especially retired military teachers, would be challenged by the prospect of earning the respect of a roomful of kids who still know how to question everything.
I agree that unions can be good or bad, and that the "bad" employees tend to see unions as a crutch more than the good ones, but a union's only reason for existence is: management.
I'm not a member of the anti-COLA government pension, SS is welfare crowd. I believe anyone who works the majority of their adult life, is entitled to a modest, dignified retirement. Maybe not at 50 or 55, but at least in their 60's.
I see the teacher retirement system as dysfunctional. The rate of return is all out of whack, compared to SS, or other DB plans where SS taxes are paid. The TRS deduction in most states, is only a percent or two above what one would pay in FICA taxes for SS. A straight SS retirement at 62, is around $1500 a month. Yet a teacher can retire at 55, with 3 or more times that amount.
Teaching doesn't compare to the challenges of the military. Maybe the typical 22 year old with limited life experience finds the classroom intimidating. Most who hang around for a few years, eventually go on cruise control for the next 30 years.
When I grew up in the 1960's, there were a significant number of good teachers in their 60's, even 70's. You don't see that anymore. The unions have made the pensions so lucrative, that even outstanding teachers who enjoy the work, retire at the earliest date possible.