Maybe the NJEA should be buying teachers free breakfast (Opinion)

Last year, McDonald’s did a nice thing when the pandemic was blowing up and America was shutting down. The fast food giant gave “Thank You Meals” away for free in April into May of 2020 to first responders.

Healthcare workers as well as paramedics, police officers and firefighters were given this free food as a token of appreciation for working long hours and staying on the job during a scary time.

Here we are more than a year later and now McDonald’s is giving away free breakfasts to teachers. From Monday, October 11 through Friday, October 15, free breakfast will be given out to educators.

This must be just in the nick of time for beleaguered teachers in New Jersey. We all know the biggest teacher’s union in the state, the NJEA is virtually powerless in providing any pull for teachers. I hear some teachers are now having to pay a whopping $10 co-pay for the most expensive medicines and as high as $15 co-pays to see specialists at the top of their field.

I don’t know how they’ve made it without a free breakfast this long. I mean, being represented by the NJEA must make them nervous when the union only had $5 million to be the biggest by-far contributor to Gov. Phil Murphy’s re-election campaign. I mean geez, it was only double what the next big union donation was.

So with that level of job insecurity and poor representation I’m sure a free breakfast will hit the right note. Here’s what teachers need to do.

Educators (or staff members) just have to present a valid work ID to request the thank you breakfast. For the most part, it will be your choice of a sausage biscuit, bacon egg and cheese biscuit or an Egg McMuffin. Some locations may have a varying menu.

You’ll also get hash browns as a side and you’ll also get your choice of a medium-sized coffee (hot or iced), iced tea or soft drink.

McDonald's Marketing Vice President Jennifer Healan says the idea is in part to “thank our educators in our communities for all that they’ve been doing and what they do really every day.”

Every day indeed. Except for the 79 days from the last day of school in June until the first day in September. Or the 10 days at Christmas. Or the other 10 days in April. Or that four-day weekend when the teacher convention is held in Atlantic City instead of holding it at the end of August.

Bon appétit!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski. Any opinions expressed are Jeff Deminski's own.