As President Barack Obama continues to push for the passage of his $447 billion jobs bill, Vice President Joe Biden told teachers' union leaders in New York that the legislation could help save hundreds of thousands of teaching positions across the country. Biden recently held a telephone conference with the New York union leaders to tout the bill, saying its passage could create or retain approximately 290,000 teaching jobs, according to WHAM News. The vice president is asking for union support and calling on teachers to write their lawmakers to encourage them to pass the controversial bill. Adam Urbanki, president of the Rochester Teachers Association, told the news source that if the legislation passes, the money would mean more teachers could be rehired that have lost their jobs due to budgetary restraints. "Many are waiting by their phones for a call to come back," Urbanski added. "These are teachers who love city kids, who are fully certified and qualified to teach. They just can't afford them." The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that job opportunities for teachers are expected to grow by 13% through the end of the decade. |