I am not trying to start a debate about union/strike necessity... but, any of you been through a strike? how long did they last? Were you asked to be on picket schedule/ What were you told to do at one? bring food or supplies? Where a gag? (actually saw that on tv once..) etc..
WE didn't actually strike but were pretty close to it. We can't strike here even though Detroit Public Schools did. But we did picket at the school board meetings...let me tell you it wasn't fun.
I have been at school board meetings wearing my required color.. but that is pretty much it. We have been working without a contract for a LONG time, though.. and I know a lot of teachers' patience has run OUT, so I am thinking about the best, but planning for the worst.
If you worked where I do, I would say you were pretty brave for that, much more than I. I was not around during the last strike (WAY before my time) but veteran teachers I know still remember who stayed in their room.. and animosity is still there. I am not willing to take that on.. I consider myself and my fellow teachers part of a "team" in the school, and I don't want to lose that whether I agree with the necessity for a strike or not. So Dutch, I see your point, it is just not something I am willing to do.
I subbed in a district that had a strike last year. I did NOT go in during the strike even though they were paying about $100 per hour. The strike lasted about 3 weeks and here is the outcome: The teachers got the tiny itty bitty raise they were asking for, but the district laid off several teachers When I went back to visit the school over the holidays -one year after the strike, it was very sad and frustrating to see many of the teachers gone and class sizes double!!!!! That stinks!
I agree with AlaskanTeach that your motives are well intended. However, the issue is that with unions...people believe that everyone should stick together. If 30 teachers in a school don't come to work because their contract negotiations fell through and one teacher did...that teacher in a sense, is considered a traitor or backstabber or worse. If we were to go on strike...I would have no problem picketing because that shows alot about the school board. Almost every strike I have heard of for teachers has taken place after YEARS of failed contract negotiations. To me, that shows that the district isnt willing to pay their employees (no matter who they are) respectfully and with proper competetive salaries and insurance. You never hear of a superintendent turning down a pay raise, but they often are on the other side of the fence when it comes to teacher pay.
Actually, our super did turn down her pay raise, and I don't believe it is the first time.. if I find a linky, I will post.. but still... no pay raise for teachers in like 6 years..
Actually, I figured that this does happen from time to time, but more often than not, Supers Dont turn down raises. The place where I worked last year in Southern MN, the Superintdendent accepted a pay raise from 118 to 140k a year......while I was making 9 bucks an hour for 35 hours and no insurance.
But kids don't come first in many of the eyes of some adminitrators. Therefore, teachers need to what is necessary to fight for them. At my school, there is talk of strike. However, I am still on probation and so they said that they 100% understand if probationary teachers do not go on strike.
Never strike if you are not tenured!!!! We never went on strike but a years back teachers were asked to picket during a conference day.....stayed out side and did not attend workshops....I was not tenured so I went inside to my workshops.... I also made sure to walk around the building to avoid crossing the picket line....not something I wanted to do!
There's usually some type of 'job action' before a strike. My district had limited job action during the last negotiations then we went to mediation and things worked out. There are districts near me working without a new contract for several years now. Lots of 'dire' things on the table: health care is the number one issue. This is not a case of teachers holding out for confiscatory raises- many strikes are over issues of basic needs.
This is the issue I have with unions too. You don't strike, you're a...hmm...don't know if I should use the Australian words we generally use in conversation in this forum...they tend not to be looked on as polite... Anyway, you don't strike, you're seen as a scab (our word) and that's that. That's nonsense. You've got a different perspective or ideal, or more to the point, you don't agree with the one the union is whinging about, don't support it. On another side, I work in a regional school, nearly two hours from the 'city'. On strike action days they try to get rallies in regional areas for those who can't get to the big ones, but this is Australia. People would rather take the day off than strike. (This may sound wrong to many, especially those advocating unions and strike actions down here, but when unions claim a strike to have 100 000 people yet police numbers continually say lucky to get 40 000, then there's something more to the story). Anyway, my view only.
