Collective bargaining occurred in an all-day meeting on the Saturday before the strike. When it became clear that the school board members were engaging in filibustering and refusing to talk about the teachers’ claims, DCTA got up from the table to prepare to strike.

Picket lines formed at local schools all over Denver, with the striking teachers wearing DCTA red clothing. Monday culminated in an impressive rally of strikers and their supporters in front of the Colorado capitol building.

Collective bargaining resumed February 12 and DCTA held another impressive rally in a park a block away from the bargaining venue. Strikers circled around the building that housed the talks, carrying placards to tell the school board to come to the table with a decent offer.

DCTA has been very clear that they are fighting for the teachers, for the students and the future of public education in Denver. “This morning we head back to be picket lines and the bargaining table. We will continue striking for our students until the district brings a proposal that ends the instability of ProComp [a haphazard bonus scheme] and helps stop the teacher turnover crisis in Denver. You can’t put students first if you put educators last,” stated a recent DCTA communique.

There is a lot of evidence of popular support for the strike. Parents and supporters have been buying coffee, water and food for the strikers. Several local restaurants have offered free lunches to teachers. Union insignia and banners from the CWU, International Laborers, and the Amalgamated Transport Workers, among others were displayed at the DCTA rallies. On the first day of the strike a group of Teamsters parked their trucks in front of a local high school and blocked deliveries to the school for an hour.

The school district claimed that they had everything under control and the schools were operating well. This claim was belied by local news footage showing chaos in the schools, with a mass dance party in the halls of one school during school hours and in other schools showing students who had no teachers. A lawsuit was filed in Federal Court for the District of Colorado alleging that the Denver School Board has not made sufficient plans to protect children in special education.

Bargaining is to resume, February 13. Striking teachers are planning to be outside the bargaining venue demanding decent pay for Denver’s teachers.

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On January 24, the Human Services Department of Denver Public Schools (DPS) sent out a letter threatening immigrant teachers who were on work visas, that they would be reported to the immigration authorities if they strike, as a strike was, according to DPS, incompatible with the terms of their visas. “If they have a pending case and choose to strike, this could impact the decision of the case” the letter stated, threatening the teachers with negative outcomes for their immigration cases.

This threatening letter comes after other attempts to derail the strike. DPS has stated publicly, on numerous occasions, that it will pay strikebreaking substitutes double their normal pay, encouraging other workers to undermine the DCTA. Additionally, in an attempt to prevent a strike, DPS referred the dispute to the State of Colorado. If the state decides to intervene, any strike would be delayed for up to 180 days. The strike was to have begun on January 28.

The response from the union and the public to the threats to call immigration was immediate. “If DPS claims to want to welcome and protect their immigrant students, why are they lying to and intimidating their immigrant teachers about their right to strike?” the Colorado People’s Alliance, asked in a Facebook post.

DPS was quick to back off from their anti-immigrant threats. “The error was the result of a misinterpretation of the information that we received from our immigration firm, and the communication was in no way intended to cause fear for our educators on visas,” stated DPS. DPS later stated that they would not report immigrant teachers to the immigration services.

The union is not bowed by the threats and manipulations of DPS and plans to go forward in its campaign to protect the standard of living of Denver’s teachers. “The strike is not cancelled – only postponed,” stated a recent communication from DCTA. Denver teachers and supporters will rally at the state capitol on Wednesday, January 30 to demand fair pay for Denver’s teachers.

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The DCTA and the Denver school board negotiated for a month until talks broke down on January 18. DCTA has been insisting on increased salaries for its members as it noted that the school district cannot retain quality teachers at the current rates. DCTA sees this struggle for higher wages as a social justice issue. “They are striking for better pay, they’re striking for the profession and they are striking for Denver students,” stated teacher and union negotiator Rob Gould.

The union was asking for an increase in base pay for its members and to diminish the reliance on one-time bonuses – which, for example, are given for having students in their classroom with high standardized test scores. When DPS only offered an amount of money that was less than 1% of the DPS budget the talks broke down. Denver teachers were clear that they were seeking an increase in base pay that would allow Denver to retain qualified and dedicated teachers. “I could leave today and go to Boulder and get a $20,000 increase with my experience and education,” said Lisa Yemma, a Denver teacher with over six years of experience.

The strike was scheduled to begin on January 28 and DPS made it clear that they would do everything to frustrate the strike. DPS has promised to pay substitute teachers double their normal pay to work during the strike. On January 23, DPS asked the State of Colorado to intervene, which means that the strike could be delayed for up to six months.

DCTA, in a message to its members, made it clear that they would continue to struggle for better pay and conditions for its members and that it opposes state intervention in their dispute with DPS. “Over the weekend, 93% of DCTA voters approved a strike. We hope that the State honors that vote and rules not to intervene,” the message stated.

The massive vote in favor of a strike is a continuation of the struggle for better pay and conditions for teachers that has broken out all over the country. Recently, in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, Washington State, Pueblo Colorado, and Los Angeles, teachers have taken their struggles for better pay and conditions, and against the nefarious effects of anti-worker legislation such as No Child Left Behind, to the streets. DCTA vows to continue its struggle for fairness for Denver teachers.

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