The union has asked a judge to order the school board to again include Pfizer Inc.'s erectile dysfunction drug and similar pills in its health insurance plans.
The filing is the latest in a two-year legal campaign in which the union has argued, so far unsuccessfully, that the board's policy of excluding erectile dysfunction drugs discriminates against male employees. The union says Viagra, Cialis, Levitra and others are necessary treatment for "an exclusively gender-related condition."
But lawyers for the school board say the drugs were excluded in 2005 to save money, and there is no discrimination because they are used primarily for recreational sex and not out of medical necessity.
The filing last month comes as the union, the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association, is also protesting hundreds of layoff notices issued to teachers for the coming school year. Citing a "financial crisis" caused by exploding benefit costs and revenue shortfalls, the district's outgoing superintendent proposed laying off 682 employees in April.
The district gave layoff notices to 482 teachers in June, but recalled 89 of them last month. Additional teachers may be called back, but these are still the first layoffs of Milwaukee teachers in decades.
At least one lawmaker questioned why the union is fighting for Viagra while teachers are losing their jobs. A consultant for the school board has estimated that reinstating the drug benefit would cost $786,000 per year — the cost to keep perhaps a dozen first-year teachers employed.
9 comments:
although i dont approve usage of viagra of any kind, at least these are relatively educated people that are (maybe) reproducing instead of the welfare recipiants (sp?) doing this.
Yes, 12:40. That's what we need. More little elitists.
We don't want to be diluting the gene pool with trailer trash, do we?
Typical liberal attitudes , most of our school systems in this country have gone down hill , this is just a reminder. I can't believe they would even consider this (whoops almost said a bad word)do-do.
How can you not get mad when you see this stuff!
I guess teaching is not such a "hard" job after all. But atleast they still get their other
"stiff" benefits. Is it the male teachers or the female teachers that are most upset?
that way, if they get screwed out of their jobs, at least them reciprocate
You got to be kidding. Is in our teachers package? Teachers have been untouchable forever, but this is too much.
Viagra can be dangerous. As I began loosing my hair, I was using Rogane. One night I took a viagra and I woke up the next morning looking like that promotor Don King.
Is it for liberal men or their women ???
Notice how the more left the school system goes the lower the standards are.
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