NS15 related. Teachers: Have you ever had to strike?

[MrsEmuTavi]

I've been having issues with my school district since I got hired there. I am an active union member. That being said, as a first year teacher if I did things I was very low key about it. Maybe instead of going to the board meeting you can send emails, that is what our union advises us to do if we don't feel comfortable speaking. Also, just attending the board meeting is a step that you can take that would be seen (in my opinion) as non-threatening. Just going to a board means nothing but does let the board know that the teachers do care. As far as striking, our contract says we are not allowed to strike. It is a very difficult call but as a first year teacher I don't think I would strike. Maybe you can feel out other first year teachers in your district and see what they are going to do? The board would not be able to fire you as a first year teacher but they could make your life miserable by transferring you to a crappy school/giving you a crappy course load to teach. Also,do you actually belong to the union? Because if you do not I would not recommend striking because you don't have the full protection of the union (or you would not in our district). I would read through your contract as well as the paperwork you signed with the union before deciding to strike. Feel free to PM me if you have other questions. If I can't get answers I know many of the higher ups in our union who might have answers.

[uclameghan]

I wouldn't strike as a first year teacher either. I echo the thoughts of MrsEmuTavi above. Check contracts and build bridges with other folks. I think people's tune about 'making your life hard' would change if they knew WHY. I'm sorry you're in this boat.

[pinkclouds]

The other posters brought up some good points. My district is on the verge of a strike right now. I know that the first year teachers would definitely be striking with us. Some of them even have gone to rallies at the district office. They have the full protection of the union, so if you do as a new hire, I would strike. It is true they can make your life miserable if they want by moving you around, but they technically cannot fire you for striking. At least, this is the case in my district. Obviously, every district is different. My district is very large, so for them to mess around with all first year teachers would be quite difficult. If you are only one of a few first year teachers, that changes things as well because you stand out more. I would definitely ask around and talk to your union reps. Good luck!

[sillygirl44]

pineapplesmoothie I am a second year probationary teacher. In my district you don't get a continuing contract until you've taught for three years even though I will have professional certification this June. That means I can be fired at any time for any reason. Has your Union considered doing work to rule instead of striking?
Striking seems very extreme to me.

[Calea]

In my district, probationary teachers can be let go at the end of the year for no reason.  Because of that, I absolutely wouldn't participate in a strike until I had tenure.  My first two years, when I was probationary, we had walk outs and marches.  I didn't participate in any of it, and was told explicitly by our union and tenured teachers not to participate.  I'm really surprised that you wouldn't have that kind of understanding/support from your union and permanent teachers.

[pinkclouds]

Nobody wants to strike. It is completely a last resort usually after years of negotiations that are going nowhere. In my case, we have been at a pay freeze for 6 years. We still get our steps, but we have been given no raise, but our work load and class sizes have increased dramatically. Most of the teachers in my district are barely able to pay their bills with the cost of living going up. The district will just not budge, yet they hire more administrators every year and they continually get raises.

You are likely correct that the union will encourage you to strike. They need people to stick together otherwise they will get nowhere and districts know this. This is the pay off for having union protection should you be in a situation where you need it. The decision is yours to make, but I will say that other teachers who do need the increase in pay because they aren't getting by may be upset by it if you choose not to strike. Since you're new to the district, there is probably a lot going on that you aren't fully aware of. This has most likely been going on for a long time.

Again, I wish you luck. It is a difficult position to be in, and I understand that.

[aquaangel75]

pineapplesmoothie Does your district have a history of striking or do you think they are using it as a bargaining tool? Yes, they may be correct in saying that you will be protected but administration can find other ways to fuck with you and make your life miserable if they aren't happy with you. Both sides have an agenda so you're going to have to do what's best for you and your family, and your career. I wish you the best and I hope that both sides can agree on a contract sooner than later.

[disneygirl14]

I'm a first year teacher too and I wouldn't strike. I'm already nervous about telling my bosses I may not be able to start out my second year, let alone striking.

[emadlma]

All of this is new to me. I have been teaching almost 15 years but we don't have unions in Virginia.

[dagnybb]

Were you assigned a mentor as a first year teacher? If not, is there a veteran teacher on your team you trust to give you good advice?

Unless you can get current documentation stating your job would not be in jeopardy for striking, I would take what the union has to say with several grains of salt. Do what is best for you and ignore what anyone else has to say. I'm sorry you're in this situation.

[Calea]

Jan 25, 2015 20:33:24 GMT -5 pineapplesmoothie said:

Jan 25, 2015 17:20:56 GMT -5 Calea said:

In my district, probationary teachers can be let go at the end of the year for no reason.  Because of that, I absolutely wouldn't participate in a strike until I had tenure.  My first two years, when I was probationary, we had walk outs and marches.  I didn't participate in any of it, and was told explicitly by our union and tenured teachers not to participate.  I'm really surprised that you wouldn't have that kind of understanding/support from your union and permanent teachers.

See, just like yours, that is how my contract is reading to me, "Effective date(s): 12/1/2014 through 6/12/2015, with no entitlement to continued employment."

The union reps gave me some photocopy from 100 years ago explaining how probationary workers are protected.  My contract doesn't read that way to me. They seem hell bent on striking "if it comes to that", but of course no one wants it to come to that. 

That sounds very similar to our probationary contracts.  We've had probationary teachers not re-elected on many occasions over the 9 years I've been at my school.  They are brought into the principal's office where they're told that they won't be returning and they don't need to give a reason.  When teachers have asked questions, the HR asst superintendent will just say they're not required to answer any questions.  It's really pretty cold and there were various suspected reasons, many less obvious than participating in a strike.

I don't know if your admin is that vengeful, but it could definitely come back to get me at my school and could be a reason for a probationary teacher to not get re-elected.  So, I think your hesitation to participate in the strike is totally justified.  I wouldn't based on how your contract reads.