UPDATED in replies-Have you ever been part of a strike?

[akayf]

Oct 20, 2023 16:49:40 GMT -5 mags said:

Oct 20, 2023 14:56:01 GMT -5 akayf said:

I’m also in NJ. I remember this. Early 2000’s? District starts with letter M and judge went in alphabetical order with his court summons when staff disregarded his return to work order? Makes me nervous because if we do strike and it gets to that point, my last name starts with C.

The negotiation committee meets next Tuesday and hopefully everything gets resolved. Otherwise, there is a union meeting Tuesday night and plans for a possible strike will be discussed.

OMG YES!!!! that's amazing that you remember that. It was a bizarre kind of day, but id do it again!

I remember because the ABC order thing is something you can’t forget! Plus my MIL’s friend’s kids were students there at the time.

[macmars45]

I've never heard of work to rule before. That would be hard even for me as a reading para. If I were to work to rule I'd have maybe 25 minutes to do all my planning & prep everyday (10 minutes in the morning & 15 in the afternoon). I'm always in early and sometimes stay a bit late too. A educator's job truly never ends. There is always so much to do and prepare for. Always.

[MrsAxilla]

My job is the negotiate union contracts on behalf of the company and I’ve been through one strike and one threatened strike. Here are some of the things we would inform employees of to discourage them (totally above board!)

If the strike is over non-economic issues, the district has the right to just replace you. It’s hard to tell if your main issue is economic or not; you’ve agreed on a rate increase but not the guidelines implementing that? Seems like it could be argued both ways. And likely will be.

Most unions do not have strike funds, meaning you won’t likely be paid anything.

I’m my state you’re eligible for unemployment, but that takes time to process and begin payments while you’re bringing in zero. Plus, if the eventual agreement includes retro-pay, you’ll have to pay that back.

There’s no guarantee retro pay would be included in the final agreement. It’s discretionary and we’d probably use that as incentive to get a deal.

Not sure if this would apply to quasi-governmental entities that might have additional legal protections, but my company could stop paying benefit premiums and make you all pay COBRA. That’s not something that could happen immediately since there are legal notice requirements and such, but if we were coming up on the first of the month with no deal, we’d use that as a leverage point.

Those are just some examples of tactics in a nasty strike (which to be clear, I’ve never been a part of!). I wouldn’t predict a teacher’s strike to get too nasty. Teachers generally have community support and it’s hard to paint them as lazy and greedy like you might some other industry.

[loira]

Oct 20, 2023 16:18:30 GMT -5 Alex said:

Yes, twice. I'm a public servant and we just had the largest strike in Canadian history back in May. We were off for 2 weeks. It started as a general strike whereas the previous strike was rotating. It's really difficult to listen to the rhetoric from the public. Public servants are lazy and overpaid apparently 🙄
I really suggest getting involved. The more you engage, the better the communication will be.

Same same on the ridiculous rhetoric but provincial public servant. We striked in fall 2022 but started with liquor store workers and it luckily didn't progress beyond that before we got a new contract. I wish was overpaid!

[heygrey]

I work in public ed. We have a teachers union and a separate union for support staff (education assistants, clerical, janitorial, bus drivers, maintenance, etc.) The teachers went on strike just before I started with the district 9 years ago and have had a vote to strike at every negotiation since. I am part of the second union and we gave 72 hour strike notice this past February. We reached a tentative deal hours before our planned strike. I am not at all surprised it got that far because my district is known for being difficult. We have a 3 year contract that expires in June 2025, so negotiations for that will start next year. If I stick with this career long enough, I fully expect to experience a strike at some point.

[bugandbibs]

Yes, twice with my current employer and once with my previous employer (although that was settled before we actually struck work, in the notice period).

I just came off of a strike last month. It was ugly and continues to sour my feelings on district leadership. We weren’t asking for more salary, just to maintain current compensation increases. There were other things too, that had some minimal movement but my job is already so stretched thin that any gains feel like spitting in the wind.

[akayf]

UPDATE-

The strike planning meeting was today after school. After the union announced this meeting, the board/district scheduled/requested a meeting with the union’s negotiating team for today starting at 11am. It lasted all day and the person running the union meeting got a text from the union president during the session I attended that everything was signed.

We already got emailed 1 part of the ratification materials. Part 2 with the salary guides and voting info/details will be emailed later tonight. Voting is on Thursday.

Fingers crossed that it gets ratified. I trust the person who ran our meeting. They are at the very top of the salary guide too and they said they felt the agreed upon guides were fair. And some of the things agreed to in the MOA will be off the table by the district if the union members vote this contract down.

Retro pay is included. They have 60 days after everything is signed and ratified to pay retro for the 2021-2022 school years. Then once that check is cut, 60 days for 2022-2023 school year. Then another additional 60 days to pay for this school year’s retro.

[litskispeciality]

akayf, I'm glad things seem to be moving in the right direction, and that they have a plan to actually pay the retro pay. Crossing all my crossables that everything goes through without a strike.

[meganew]

I really wish we as educators could do a nationwide strike. I want every teacher in the country to take home every single book, all decorations, any manipulatives or toys or centers, rugs, craft supplies- all of it. Take it home and let the community see what’s provided to us. Teach only with the materials provided. No after school unpaid clubs, no staying late to prep- just working to the contract. Let the entire country feel the weight of that and then tell us they’re adequately funding schools.