Sheridan educators on strike after negotiations fall flat
Englewood, CO – On April 1, teachers and faculty across five schools of the Sheridan School District went on strike demanding union recognition and the reinstatement of their contract. Over 100 teachers, faculty and community members walked the picket lines demanding that the school district come back to the table for negotiations.
Tensions rose earlier this year when the school district passed a policy that stated they would not recognize staff without licenses in the union. That means school custodians, paraprofessionals on staff, bus drivers – workers who all keep the district’s schools running and operational – were not able to join. When contract negotiations fell apart, 98% of members voted to strike. While the Sheridan School District initially claimed that schools would stay open while the strike was ongoing, the school district was forced to cancel classes through the end of the week due to low staffing.
Kate Biester, president of the Sheridan Educators Association, reflecting on the start of the strike, said, “When we lost our contract for the teachers, it also lost what the district was giving in good faith to the rest of their workers – and we decided that wasn't good enough anymore. And we need to fully enfranchise all of the workers in our school district and give them all bargaining rights.”
According to the union, students and the local community have been very important every step of the way. Earlier this year, high school students in Sheridan School District walked out in support of the teachers, and elementary school students helped chant alongside their teachers.
“There's always been kind of like an undercurrent of community members, parents, students, really trying to make significant change in this community,” Biester said, ”And I feel like right now it's just all coming to a head, all the work we've done in different spaces over the last few years is showing up all at once.”
On day two of the strike, organizers hosted a car rally, driving by the district’s administration building with a truck from members of Teamsters Local 455 leading the way in solidarity.
Members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) showed up in solidarity as well, decorating cars for the car rally. Circe Conway, an FRSO general member and former Starbucks Workers United organizer pointed out, “The more people that join the union, the more people that are eligible for and benefit from the union, the more powerful it’s going to get, and that builds a lot of worker power.”
After the car rally, workers went back to their strike shifts one more time before closing the day out in high spirits.