Harrison Hills on STRIKE!

Yep, they're out. They voted overwhelmingly to reject the contract offer from the BOE, and now they're out. Good luck HHTA!

Harrison Hills Teachers' Association: Anything could happen!

Down to the wire, they could be on strike in a few hours. Latest is here, but it doesn't tell you much other than what I just did. Nothing new on their webpage.

Good luck HHTA, I'm goin' to bed, check the 411 early in the 'AM.

Battle for the hearts and minds of the public in negotiations...

Negotiations break off; what does the Superintendent do? He claims teachers make more per hour than he does 'cause he works more days and longer hours over the year. Great guy.

By creating some kind of panel the RI governor hopes to improve negotiations so teacher strikes don't happen. Just get rid of the bad board negotiators.

Harrison Hills Teacher Strike?

Whether or not there will be one will be decided in a a number of hours by a vote from the teachers; the BOE there has already hired a security firm and scabs. At least in Cahokia the administration had the good sense to shut down the schools. The board left an hour early from the negotiating session. Good luck, HHTA.

To quote Jack London:

"A scab is a traitor to his God, his country, his family and his class."

Cahokia Back IN!

Their 9 day strike has been ended, a three year contract voted in by upwards of 90% of the membership. Congratulations!

Shoreline, Harrison Hills, Shanker, uninformed BOE President

A pre-strike article about Shoreline, then there's this article about the actual one-day strike, with the memorable comment "fire them all for breaking their contract and then hire back the good ones."

Harrison Hills' strike date of October 1 is getting closer, and things aren't looking better.

Interesting interview with the writer of the Shanker bio. (Note to self, stop writing notes to self and review Shanker book.)

"I don't want to do this (hire a union teacher) just because the union says we have to." Yes, this quote came from a public school district's Board of Education President. Read about it here.

$50 per teacher, Cahokia, UAW Strike an' good ol' Al.

Texas teachers don't have to pay the $50 fee for fingerprinting and background checks required under state law. Yea. Now if they'd just change their status from a "Right to work" state and stop roughing up union leaders, there'd be real progress in that there land.

Still nothing in Cahokia. More about the nothing that is being achieved.

Ed in the Apple (I seem to be reading it more and more) tries to draw similarities between teacher unions and the UAW strike. I still remain largely unconvinced.

Norm of "Norm's Notes" fames, also a poster on EdNotesOnline digs into the Al Shanker bio. (Note to self, really gotta write that review.)

Shoreline, Cahokia, Harrison Hills.

Shoreline Education Association will be on strike for one day, and one day only. Thursday.

Cahokia has been out for 7 days. They met with the board on Monday, but still no dice.

This opinion piece urges the Harrison Hills District and the HEA to talk now so they don't strike later. The interesting part is that it seems somewhat heartfelt, too.

Cahokia Still out.

Here's the latest.

Breaking News: Shoreline, WA One Day Strike!

Shoreline Education Association voted to go on strike for one day on this Thursday-- after voting no confidence in their Supe, the result of poor staffing decisions at the elementary level. More news as I get it...but for now, this is it.

Cahokia still in the news, Tiverton back in the news.

Cahokia's still on strike, the kids are staying at home on Monday. Where is the BOE President? Where he should be-- at Notre Dame, taking in a football game. Glad to know he has the kids' priorities at heart.

Tiverton EA in RI might sound familliar; the local went on strike and I believe was court-ordered back in. They just passed a "work to the rule" vote. The plot thickens, they're still in negotiations. Oh yeah, the Supe said he won't pay the teachers for their one-day strike (which was illegal under RI law), you can read more about it here.

Trouble Brewing in Harrison Hills!

There's trouble afoot in Harrison Hills, Ohio. Somehow, I missed the fact that the local there, Harrison Hills Teachers' Association (an OEA affiliate) had authorized a strike vote and given notice for October 1st. This past Wednesday, the Superintendent had been authorized by the BOE to hire scabs and security for said scabs should the strike actually happen. You can check out the union's page here, the actual article here or the three page FAQ (PDF) about the "what ifs" put out by the district, designed to help parents feel better about sending their kids to cross picket lines.

Angry Ohio, Cahokia, Tucson, SMETA, Higher Ed Strike and good 'ol Al.

Tucson Unified School District seems to have quieted down. After suffering a 1,400 teacher sickout, the union has accepted an across the board 3% raise.

Cahokia Federation of Teachers is still on strike. This article focuses on the effects of the strike on the kids.

Parents in San Mateo are getting edgy that SMETA might strike; I wrote about them in an earlier blog post.

Ed over at Ed in the Apple takes a sincere look at what Al Shanker taught us. (Note to self: Finish Shanker book review soon.)

CTA has begun it's anti-reauthorization campaign for NCLB.

Rider University's staff have voted to authorize a strike. Strikewatch has been updated.

Wellington Education Association in Ohio has voted to authorize a strike. What's up in Ohio? Things seem a little testy there.

Cahokia Teacher Strike: Day 4 Came and Went, Still On The Line

Day 3 of the Cahokia strike. Day 4 of the strike. Strike causes forfeiture of Friday's football game. This editorial pleads for the teachers and administration to agree, and for a no-strike law to enter the state legislature. (Oh, and by the way, did you know the strike is tarnishing a 4-0 football team's record?) A letter to the editor from the CFT's President, Brent Murphy.

The coming sign of the apocalypse...

...Checker Finn and the Education Gadfly take the side (gasp) of the teachers' union:

"When progression is regressionThe Denver teachers union has proposed to end social promotion in Mile High City schools and instead to tie students' progress to their scores on standardized tests in third, fifth, and eighth grades. Opponents of the plan worry that it will harm the self-esteem of students who are held back and could encourage those youngsters to drop out. ''Unless you've got a very serious set of interventions in place, all retaining kids does is drive the dropout rate up,'' says Denver Superintendent Michael Bennet. The union agrees, which is why its plan calls for extra services for students with low test grades and reading scores. And what's the alternative? Allowing students to progress through the grades without, say, being able to do basic math? If you want to talk about a blow to self-esteem, talk about the seventh grader who reads at a third-grade level. There may be more to this story: the union and district are embroiled in contentious contract negotiations. But on this issue, regardless of the politics that may be involved, we're taking union's side."

(From this issue of the Education Gadfly)

Some stuff, SMETA

The board approved Norwin's contract, so I am going to take 'em off of strikewatch.

Edison Local Education Association voted to authorize a strike, 98% for, 2% against. Strikewatch will be updated.

The San Mateo Elementary Teacher's Association (SMETA) is going into fact-finding, one step before strike. However, I can't seem to find anything about a strike authorization vote, so I just want to chalk this one up to the paper beating the strike drum a little too early.

Updates.....

Cahokia Federation of Teachers is still on the line...day two. Some history about the district and the union.

Tucson Teacher Sick Out Opinion Piece

This piece is surprisingly pro-teacher. 1,400 teachers sicked out Friday in a non-coordinated response to TUSD's opening offer of a 1% raise. I noted that students watched "Daddy Day Care" in the high schools along with "Rush Hour 2", but apparently they also watched "Nacho Libre".

Cahokia On Strike, Reported To You By Britney Spears.

Following her disastrous appearance at this year's Video Music Awards on MTV, Britney Spears has signed an exclusive deal with Dr. Homeslice to do a few blog posts.

(Best Britney Spears Impersonation)

"Y'all! Y'all! There's like a strike or somethin' going on right now in that state that people abbreviate IL. I really wasn't paying attention in math class, so I don't know what state that is or anything. Oh well. I do know the teachers aren't working, and the name of the district is Cahokia. This article was before the strike and this one was after the strike started."

Dr Homeslice: Ladies and gentlement, Britney will no longer be posting. Please check out what's happening in Cahokia at the CFT website. Here's another article. Just in case you might be wondering, the teachers' strike for better wages and respect from the BOE might possibly affect the football team's season-- parents should call their Board members and urge them to settle with the union.

Fordham Foundation on Alternative Certification/ Licensure

First, let me get this straight-- I don't usually agree with anything Checker Finn or any of his Finnites put out from the Fordham Foundation. Come to think of it, I can't really remember any time that I've agreed with anything they've said, unless it's something like "The sky is blue" or "Charters are underlegislated and undermonitored". However, seeing as how they would never say the second thing, they did release a report today about how the alternative certification process for teachers across the US isn't really that great, something that I would agree with.

Just 'cause you're a great engineer, doesn't mean you'll make a great math teacher. Some folks just aren't teachers, pure and simple. The drive is noble and appreciated, but uh... yeah. You can read the report here in it's entirety (PDF) or the summary here.

Cahokia Teachers On Strike!

Got this message this morning:

Great site!! I found it while searching for more info on Cahokia School District strike. Thought I would let you know Cahokia Federation of Teachers Local #1272 did strike this morning(Monday, Sept 17). We had an spectacular turn out and will continue to stand united for our cause!!!

In solidarity,

Doc.

Strike? School Board Rats? Not working to the rule?

Cahokia-- on Sunday, this article went online stating that the Superintendent had cancelled school due to the expected and pending teacher strike.

Fresno-- this columnist calls for the Fresno Teachers' Association President Larry Moore's ouster. Of course, the columnist does not have a vote. This edutorial calls for the ratification of the BOE's offer for their contract.

Calument, IL-- The teachers of the District 155 Teachers Council of the Southwest Suburban Federation of Teachers Local 943 (whew!) have authorized a strike.

Did you know that being a teacher is a part-time job? That's what this guy thinks.

Baltimore Blogger Epiphany who isn't working to the rule blogs about why exactly he/she isn't.

Hud Callahan laments about the Chicago pay system.

"Well of course I'm pro-union," said the Charter School Operator, "but why would my staff need to join a union? There are only seven of them."

1,400 teachers sick at the same time, strikes, bargaining, strikes and more possible strikes.

San Mateo Elementary Teachers Association might go on strike on 9/28 if things don't get better with their bargaining.

Depending on how things go tonight, Cahokia Federation of Teachers could be on strike at 12:01 AM Monday, September 17th.

Over 1400 teachers sicked out in Tucson, AZ as part of a contract dispute, cancelling classes at a number of schools. High School students who showed up for class were shown Daddy Day Care and Rush Hour 2.

Earlville Teachers' Association filed an intent to strike last week.

Do you give up your 1st amendment rights once the bell rings?

Apparently this teacher did. She was fired.

Seneca Valley.

Seneca Valley going to strike? No plans as of yet, says Butch Santicola, PSEA spokesperson. (And he's good people, so Doc trusts him).

Fresno Teachers' Association unanimously authorized a strike and voted no confidence in their superintendent.

Is a gymnasium a classroom?

And can you cover up cameras in a gym?

Charter School Principal Suspended: Allegations of Grade Falsification

At a charter school? I would never have guessed.

Cahokia is going to file a grievance!

Listen to this:

Cahokia Federation of Teachers in Illinois are filing a grievance against their school board because they believe their BOE is not negotiating in good faith. Why? At a recent meeting, the contract item had not yet made it to the board (though it was later on in the agenda) but a teacher found a copy of a press release in a copy machine that announced the board had rejected the teachers' contract...before the board had actually voted!

From the Buckeye State...

A reader of mine in the great state of Ohio alerted me to what's going on there...

The state AG has sued 2 charter schools in Dayton (the city in Ohio hit hardest by charters), saying that they're sucking up public funds and are at the state's lowest academic rating; therefore they deserve to be closed. You can predict the rest-- charter school advocates are pretty much rushing to the defense of charters in the state and nationwide, claiming that a few bad apples shouldn't tarnish the name of the entire school choice movement. They also say that the lawsuit is premature and supersedes existing legislative options for the charter school closure.

More here, here, here and here.

Locke High School in Los Angeles goes to Green Dot in 2008

Ooooboy.

You have to read this!

You have to read this for the title, if nothing else.

Strike authorizations, $50 and not working to the rule.

Not working to the rule in Baltimore.

200K Teachers in Texas could get stuck with a $50 background check fee when a new state safety law takes place.

Allegheny Intermediate Unit in PA authorized a strike, but no timetable has been set. What's interesting is that this unit is primarily made up of specialists (speech, OT and such) and services a whole county.

This student blogger laments the day she doesn't have off because there's no strike in her district.

Litchfield Education Association in Illinois has authorized a strike, too.

Congress Moving Too Fast Towards NCLB Reauth, says AFT President

"The American Federation of Teachers has listened for years to our members and others tell us what they think of the No Child Left Behind Act. In more than five years, not a single parent, educator or student has demanded that Congress rush a revised bill through the reauthorization process without taking appropriate steps to get it right. Nevertheless, that is exactly what the U.S. House of Representatives is poised to do.

The House education committee is rushing forward at reckless speed, and, if this keeps up, the result is going to be a sloppy law that is worse than the current law. It is clear from the just-released discussion draft that lawmakers have a lot of work to do before anyone can say they have gotten it right.

AFT members have had five and a half years of experience with the No Child Left Behind Act. During that time, good schools have been stigmatized by the law's unfair and unscientific "adequate yearly progress" measure. Teachers have faced increasing pressure to teach to the test, and students have learned less history, science, art and music. Struggling schools have received punitive sanctions instead of needed help. Tens of millions of dollars in No Child Left Behind funds have gone to private tutoring companies with unqualified employees and no reliable data that demonstrates they are effective.

Our students deserve a law that is carefully considered. The proposed timetable will make it impossible for lawmakers, most of whom are just seeing the language for the first time, to ensure that what is done in Washington makes sense in our nation's classrooms.

Two years ago, the AFT launched our "Let's Get It Right" campaign to make sure that NCLB's reauthorization would be done the right way, with real input from teachers, parents, and others who care about our students and their education. Last year, our members and the entire labor movement spent countless hours to help elect and re-elect representatives we thought respected the parents and teachers who say Congress needs to fix this law.

We hope those members will take the time to get it right—and not just put a check mark next to a bad bill and say, "Done."

-President Ed McElroy

Anti-Strike Bill in PA.

For every 200 agreements reached, 10 go on strike. Pandering to an anti-strike law in PA.

We need more men.

In the classrooms, that is. Take a look at this Newsweek article.

Since I teach at the high school level, I don't see the shortage like I probably would if I taught in elementary. (Nod to I Thought A Think).

Things getting better in Norwin?

That's what this article says.

Who said this?

First, the ground rules.

1) No text searches through search engines of any kind.
2) First person to guess correctly gets a prize.
3) Prize is not transferrable.

“When you work hard and you play by the rules, you ought to have health care, you ought to have a decent wage, you ought to be able to maintain a family.”

Guesses only, people.

East Greenwich Ordered Back to School!

I'm a little behind on the updates, but EGEA was court-ordered back into school due to the "harm" that could be caused to school children as the result of a strike.

Tough Case.

Administrator is distracted, leaves their own child in their car in soaring temperatures for 8 hours.

Child dies.

Local prosecutor declines to press charges, saying it was not intentional that the child was left in the car.

School board looks into "just cause" to terminate administrator.

Huh?

Working to the rule, Striking, Strike Law, Misguided Individuals and Leona.

You might remember Epiphany, the teacher-blogger in Baltimore I recently highlighted for "work to the rule". Mat of "Going to the Mat" fame has picked up on his post and used it in an anti-union bent. It's well written, but I completely disagree with it.

Speaking of work to the rule in Baltimore, the Nashua Telegraph presents an anti-union editorial directed towards those very folks in Baltimore. And it uses RI teachers as an example, too. This website supports RI teachers and urges Rhode Islanders to call their state legislator and urge fair school funding. Judicial angle on RI public sector strikes, too.

This misguided individual misunderstands what it is about to be a teacher in a union.

"I wouldn’t be a teacher if they paid me. The dizzying array of social problems that walk through the schoolhouse door every morning is an added burden that I can’t imagine having to deal with on top of daily lesson plans. And a good teacher is still as rich a resource as a community can have." Sadly, this editorial writer goes on to point out how teachers have it so good, and that we shouldn't strike.

On a side note, a Leona-managed Charter School is in the red by over 20k at the end of the year. Go figure.

Teacher types?

EdWize has a great "New Teacher Diary" about the types of teachers at your "welcome back from summer now you're going to be working your butts off till your brain comes out through your nose with little or no help from administrators who will hide in their air-condititioned office" meeting.

(Quotes are mine, BTW.)

Whoops part 2!

Norwin Education Association authorized a strike 8/22. It will be with a 48 hour notice and could come soon if contract talks fail to progress.

The BOE in Seneca Valley is playing hardball with the SVEA!

Whoops!

Missed a strike. East Greenwich Education Association has been on strike for three days-- and I missed it. Mea culpa, EGEA!

What are unions for, anyway?

Interesting post over at Ezra Klein.

Latest teacher strike updates....

Shoreline and Bethel school districts in Washington are back in the classroom.

Barnesville Education Association reached a TA with the district in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, so they did not go on strike.

As long as the Norwin Education Association sees some positive movement on the contract, they won't strike.

I'm a bit behind, but the Springfield Education Association accepted a TA before their strike date of 9/4, so no strike there.

Both BUrrville teachers and Tiverton teachers are supposed to be on strike in RI, but they're reporting for class. I don't understand this one. More about the education funding situation in RI here.

Stick a fork in it-- Harlem BOE approved the teachers' contract.

Blogger Epiphany struggles with working to the rule in Baltimore.

Barnesville still on track for strike.

Read here.

Latest here.

Teaching about Labor Day....

Great article, read here.

Strike Updates!

Bethel School District has reached a TA, they voted at 4:30, so they might not be on strike as you read this. One article here, another here.

Looks like Burriville RI teachers are back in the classrooms tomorrow, and barring any other happenings, Tiverton will be out tomorrow. You can read about both items here. Burriville was going to be court-ordered back in, so perhaps they are one step ahead?

Madera, CA's 900 teachers in Madera Unified School District (AFT or NEA affiliated?) are contemplating a strike authorization vote after going back into classrooms for the second year with no new contract.

Official Press Release from MEA's United Staff Organization

MEA unionized employees continue bargaining
Strike postponed for now

Bargaining between the United Staff Organization (USO) and the Michigan Education Association (MEA) continues despite the Aug. 31 expiration of the employee contracts.

“As long as bargaining is productive, we will stay at the table,” said USO President Tom Greene. “However, if talks break down, our members are prepared to do what is necessary.”

In addition to a recent strike vote, USO members unanimously approved a vote of confidence in its bargaining teams.

At issue are MEA’s proposed rollbacks to the employees’ retirement plan.

Traditionally, MEA has fought the Legislature when similar changes for the school employees’ retirement plan have been introduced.

“This fight is for all of us—MEA employees and members. Our future is their future,” said Greene.

The USO represents more than 600 employees from MEA, MESSA and MEA Financial Services. MEA is the largest school employees union in the state with more than 160,000 members.

MEA Staff Union Strike? Not so!

From a helpful source at MEA:

"Early this morning, a framework for a settlement was reached between the parties. The details of this framework will remain confidential until they are finalized and reviewed by the parties. USO’s members reported for work this morning (Tuesday) – they are not on strike."

What's happening in Chicago?

Wow, what is there to say?

CTU just ratified a TA agreement (I think) after some protracted contract negotiations. The "strike" terms were bandied about, more so by the press than either bargaining side.

Now YouTube (and a member of the CTU) have brought us an inside view of the Delegate's Assembly (or whatever the lower "house"/ deliberative body of the CTU is called) during the ratification meeting.

Even my buddy PREA Prez has commented about it.

I'm not here to cast blame against President Stewart; I'm just noting the exteme displeasure of the delegates in the seven videos posted on YouTube. Unfortunatley, whoever posted the videos must have done so with a cell phone; all are less than 30 seconds and give us something of a one-sided view of the Assembly.

Clearly they weren't happy with the specifics of the contract TA, but it was still voted in. I know President Stewart won the latest Presidential election and will be there for at least two more years (help Victor) but this may be something that follows her into the next election and, uh, taints it a bit.

On a side note, if Assemblies are going to be videoed, they should be done in their entirety, not bits and pieces.

Happy Labor Day!

I said I wouldn't post, but I did. So there.

Shoreline is getting closer to a strike.

More about the historical past of Harlem school strikes.

Bethel teachers are still on strike. More about the reasons behind it here. Ryan at I Thought A Think has his take on it here.

Questioning merit pay in Oklahoma.

Happy Labor Day from this pro-teacher union blogger.

This "undercover" post is about David Brennan, a major player in the charter school chain biz in Ohio and five other states.

Seneca Valley isn't going to strike.

Huffington Post: Merit Pay Has Problems!

Dave Riegel writes in part:

"The use of test scores for evaluation of teachers is fraught with difficulties that should be obvious to any outside observer. First among them, you can't pick your students upon whom your salary might depend. Those in favor of merit pay often use the private sector as a comparison point, saying essentially that most people are paid by how hard they work or how many cases they win or how much they sell. And all that's true. But a salesman isn't forced to spend his time on customers who clearly don't want to buy his products. Lawyers don't typically take cases they can't win. But the logic of paying teachers based on performance is similar to saying to a car salesman, "here are 30 adults chosen at random. Your salary depends on being able to sell all of them cars -- a standard car, at that -- regardless of their needs, desires, or ability to pay." Or to tell a lawyer, "you must win the next 30 cases that walk through your door, using limited resources, regardless of the merit of their suits, or the expense required to prosecute their cases."

Read the whole thing here.

The Motley Fool on Union Dues....

Asks whether they're a good investment. My answer, of course, is a resounding yes-- but read for yourself!

Education Action Group?

Apparently they're a pro-BOE, pro-taxpayer, anti-union group that's active in a few states like Iowa and Michigan. They survive by donations and don't seem to have done much so far, just a group with little to do and a domain name. So why am I mentioning them? They linked to my MEA staff negotiations item in their "Thug Watch". Does that make me a thug by association? They did call me pro-union, though not by my actual name (Dr. Thelonius Homeslice, esq.). Oh well.

Pending Barnesville Strike....

I got an email from a BEA member with their website-- it's great! You can see they've done a fantastic job of keeping their members informed.