On Monday, May 15, Fight Back! interviewed Michael Jones, president of the teachers’ unit with Madison Teachers, Incorporated (MTI), which represents nearly 2700 educators employed by the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD), to discuss current conditions and a recent week of action where teachers worked to rule. Fight Back!: How long have you been working in Madison schools?

Michael Jones: I'm finishing up my 14th year in education, my ninth year in MMSD.

Fight Back!: What are the general conditions of work for educators in Madison right now?

Jones: Like many education workers nationally, statewide and locally, our working conditions are extremely challenging and demoralizing. Sometimes, it's building infrastructure, such as being in spaces without proper air conditioning, heating or ventilation. We're also facing a significant shortage of workers in education, from custodial or food service, to education assistants and teachers, to mental health services.

As conditions like increasing class sizes, reduced protected break and prep times, and increasing workloads persist, our veteran workers are leaving either the district or education altogether. And we're not recruiting and retaining new workers because the conditions are so inequitable. On top of all of that, our employer seems to have given up on trying to support and retain workers, rather refusing to invest money because it's seen as a lost cause. This is one of the long-term intended impacts of Scott Walker and Robin Vos’s plan to destroy public education when they undemocratically pushed through Act 10 in 2011.

Fight Back!: You mentioned Act 10. What impact has this and Right to Work legislation had on your union and the workplaces in general?

Jones: In many ways, it's decimated our workers' morale and ability to sustain a livable lifestyle in Wisconsin and Madison. There's the tangible costs of being underpaid tens of thousands of dollars in a late-stage capitalistic society, so people have made unfortunate choices like dropping union membership or leaving the profession for pure financial reasons. Then there's the emotional harm Walker and the Republicans have caused our schools and unions that seems irreparable, at times.

Right or wrong, one's wages reflect how they are valued in their society as a human being. And the messages – through Act 10, through union-busting actions at the state and local levels, and the racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynist, ableist actions pursued by leaders – to education workers have been clear: you are hated in the very communities you are trying to support and improve. It's not surprising that our system is in crisis — look at the messages we receive!

Fight Back!: What recent conditions specifically led to the week of action during Teacher Appreciation Week?

Jones: Over the past three years, MMSD has underpaid workers below the rate of inflation. Last year, the [Consumer Price Index] was 4.7% and the district only gave 3%. That means all workers took a pay cut since their wages weren't keeping up with inflation, even if the number on paper looked higher. Add to that the deteriorating conditions and the lack of district leadership empathy to our concerns, our workers decided to publicly take a stand on the unpaid, unrecognized and unsupported labor that educators are expected to do outside of our contracted day.

Because our system historically undervalues and underpays educators, because our workers are primarily people with uteruses and they are systemically underpaid in America, society just assumes that all those tests, quizzes, papers, lesson plans, parent and student communications, and professional development tasks can be done after school hours and on the weekends. Our action is to send a loud and clear message that you cannot take workers' labor for granted just because the system historically and culturally does so.

Fight Back!: What are the current demands of the rank-and-file educators?

Jones: We have 3 demands.

A cost-of-living adjustment to the full 8% that the state allows.

That MMSD produces a budget that is student-centered, so cuts or adjustments are not at the cost of cutting school-level positions and increasing class sizes and workloads, which they have proposed in their initial budget.

That workers' autonomous time – breaks and preps – are protected instead of workers being forced to do unnecessary and time-consuming tasks that do little to improve student achievement and are meant to leverage power from the top to the bottom.

Fight Back!: So what's next for the educators with MTI?

Jones: We are still in the planning stages of subsequent actions, but given the district's lack of interest in moving forward on a just budget, we anticipate our job actions to continue throughout the summer and fall, when students will be coming into school. A lot of unpaid and unrecognized labor goes into preparing for the next school year. If workers set limits on that unrecognized work, it would throw a wrench in administration's plans.

Fight Back!: How can people support MTI in its present and future struggles?

Jones: Thank you for asking. We are asking community members to engage the five actions in the online document that has been posted. This includes signing our petition, contacting the MMSD Board of Education, subscribing and sharing our social media outreach, and speaking up for workers.

Fight Back!: Looking ahead and beyond these immediate fights, would MTI be interested in collaborating with other unions and progressive community and student organizations from across the state to renew the fight against anti-labor laws like Act 10 and Right to Work?

Jones: We are ready and willing to work with all stakeholders for a more just society! We lead an education justice coalition to address school food security with community and student groups. And we financially and systemically support social justice organizations and unions allied with our values. We can do this work when we are connected and know we are not alone in the struggle!

#MadisonWI #TeachersUnion #TeachersUnions

Bartow, FL – About 40 teachers and supporters protested in downtown Bartow on Saturday, April 1 demanding funding for public schools and protection of collective bargaining rights. The Polk Education Association hosted a picnic at their union hall followed by a march to State Senator Ben Albritton’s office. The PEA protest as part of a statewide day of action against Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida legislature’s attacks on teachers’ unions.

Ben Albritton is the senate majority leader who will vote on two important bills in Florida’s legislative session this year. SB 202 allows private schools to get state funding that is currently for public schools alone. SB 256 removes automatic deduction of union dues from paychecks and raises union membership requirements from 50% to 60%. If these bills pass, Florida teachers will lose funding and risk having their unions decertified.

Stephanie Yocum, president of Polk Education Association said DeSantis is “scared of our collective action and our collective voice. He is more worried about trying to destroy our voice as regular working people to score political points to become president. And he is making leaders like Senator Albritton, who have not stood up to him, become part of the problem.”

At the picnic, teachers made signs and wrote postcards explaining how these bills would affect their jobs. During the march, protesters chanted, “Union busting? That’s disgusting!” and “Public funds belong in public schools!”

“As a constituent of Senator Albritton, I need him to listen to regular Floridians like me and you,” said Yocum to the crowd during her speech.

PEA left the postcards and signs at Albritton’s doorstep. The march circled downtown with drivers honking and waving in support.

#BartowFL #TeachersUnion #TeachersUnions

Jersey City, NJ – On March 16, public school teachers in Jersey City, New Jersey went on strike after months of frustrating contract negotiations with the city’s Board of Education. Their union, the Jersey City Education Association (JCEA), announced the strike to their nearly 4000 members late on the night of March 15.

Teachers began showing up to picket lines and rallies across the city before 5 a.m. – mere hours after the strike was officially announced.

The Jersey City Board of Education attempted to bring in substitute teachers as scabs to break the JCEA strike, offering to pay them double the normal per diem rate. Far from undercutting the strike, the move only furthered the resolve of teachers and staff districtwide.

The board decided not to cancel school, instead insisting that classes continue with a 12:45 p.m. early dismissal. But, their decision backfired since there were far fewer substitute scabs available for the school day to proceed normally. Student-teacher solidarity

However, the Jersey City Board of Education’s biggest miscalculation was to underestimate the level of student solidarity with teachers and school staff.

Students, rather than demonstrating “apathy,” ignored suspension threats by the school district and left their buildings to stand with their striking teachers, school staff and paraprofessionals. Students organized chants such as, “We want our teachers back! We’ve got our teachers’ backs!”

“Concerning the strike, I feel that if we want to talk about educating our kids, we need to pay our teachers,” said student Gekson Orlando Casillas, 18, at McNair Academic High School, who joined the picket lines. “It's hard to get teachers excited to come to work when they know they aren't making enough to get by. If we pay our teachers what they deserve, that means they get the resources and support they need.”

Casillas continued, “Students walking out with our teachers felt like the right thing to do. As the child of a JCPS employee, the battle these teachers are fighting is personal. It affects my family every day. Our teachers have our back. They support us as not only teachers, but as mentors, confidants and sometimes like parents. The student-teacher relationship is so important. So now it's time we help them.”

Key factors in the JCEA’s decision to strike

According to the union, the strike centers on two key issues: the “fight for affordable health care and a fair contract settlement.” The JCEA and the Board of Education have met more than 20 times for negotiations since their contract expired Sept. 1, 2017, with little progress and harsher cuts to teachers’ health insurance plans demanded by the school district.

Later in the day of March 16, the JCEA led a march of several hundred teachers and students to the Board of Education building, demanding a fair contract and no cuts to teachers’ health insurance.

Like the West Virginia teachers who won their statewide strike earlier this month, JCEA has organized food drives for students and families that rely on free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs through the public school system.

Health insurance cuts at the core of Jersey City teachers strike

While the Board of Education’s refusal to agree to a fair contract led to the strike, the root issue is a series of cuts proposed to teachers’ health insurance plans. Budget cuts and austerity measures passed under former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have devastated public education funding in the state. School districts like Jersey City are enforcing these budget cuts by forcing teachers to pay more out-of-pocket health care costs and reducing the quality of their insurance plans.

“My members are fighters,” said JCEA President Ronald Greco in a March 16 press statement. “They fight for their students every day. They fight to make sure our kids get a quality education despite the questionable spending practices of the board of education on high-priced consultants and failing programs. My members fight to keep our communities safe and our students out of harm. And even now, when it’s our issue at the bargaining table, what we’re fighting for is not exclusive to just us. Quality, affordable health care is a fundamental right for everyone. My members are prepared to step up and take on this fight for everyone, knowing full well that it will be a long, difficult process.”

The Jersey City teachers strike comes on the heels of a nine-day statewide teachers strike in West Virginia, which ended in that state’s legislature passing a 5% raise for teachers and other public workers. West Virginia teachers faced deep cuts to their health insurance and placed humiliating burdens on teachers to keep their coverage. There, the state legislature demanded budget cuts for the same reason that Jersey City’s Board of Education cites: responding to budget shortfalls, which were created by giving tax breaks to corporations, millionaires and billionaires.

Strike fever

While public employees can legally strike in New Jersey – unlike West Virginia, where public sector work stoppages are illegal – the militancy of the JCEA is part of a strike fever sweeping teachers across the U.S. Budget cuts and givebacks demanded by state and local governments have pushed teachers to the limit, forcing many to strike out of necessity. Teachers unions in Oklahoma, for instance, have set April 2 as a tentative deadline for the state to pass greater funding for public education or face a West Virginia-style statewide shutdown.

This strike fever among teachers unions happens against the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s looming decision in the Janus v. AFSCME case. The court is expected to rule against unions and implement right-to-work-for-less laws across the country for public employees. This ruling will weaken public sector unions by allowing workers to reap the benefits of union membership – raises, contract protections, health insurance, pensions and more – without joining or paying dues.

Public sector unions are a key pillar of the U.S. labor movement, making up just under half of all union members. In 2017, 34.4% of all public-sector workers were union members (7.2 million), versus just 6.5% in the private sector (7.6 million). The Janus case is the latest attempt by anti-union billionaires like the Koch brothers to break the back of organized labor.

But while the Janus decision will hurt organized labor, especially public-sector unions, the militancy of the teachers in West Virginia, Jersey City, and Chicago – who held a one-day strike in 2016 – shows a path forward. With the law stacked against them, the teachers in West Virginia blatantly violated the anti-union laws restricting their right to strike, and they won. They demonstrated that these laws are written by and for the 1%. In reality, workers hold the real power. Even in a post- Janus world, unions can grow stronger and win through workplace militancy and struggle.

FightBack! will continue covering the Jersey City teachers strike.

#JerseyCityNJ #PeoplesStruggles #strike #teachersStrike #Strikes #NewJersey #TeachersUnion #TeachersUnions #JCEA

Seattle teachers participated in a one-day walkout strike on May 19. Teachers on the eastern side of Washington state are participating today, May 21. While it is illegal for public school teachers to strike, hundreds of brave teachers, along with other school employees, will be walking off the job to demand that their schools be funded, and that budget cuts against them end now. Fight Back! interviewed Chuck Saari, a public school teacher in the city of Kennewick who is striking today.

Fight Back!: Why are you participating in the strike/walk-out?

Chuck Saari: Washington ranks 47th in class size. A voter-approved initiative would reduce class sizes, but the state legislature has said they will not do it. This is violating the will of the people.

The state supreme court has ruled in the McCleary decision that the state is not fully funding education, which is their paramount duty according to the state constitution.

A voter approved COLA [cost of living adjustment] has been denied to teachers for the last six years. This was approved by 65% of voters.

Newly added federal and state testing requires students to miss weeks of instruction. Republicans in the state legislature want to tie teachers’ evaluations to the test scores.

The cost of health care increases yearly yet the state has not increased their allocation in years. Teachers do not have ‘Cadillac’ health care plans and the Republicans would like to replace the current health care system with a new one that requires startup costs and more state employees to manage.

Around 50 school districts have walked out so far in the state.

Fight Back!: How was it decided that you all would strike?

Saari: We had a meeting of the local teachers union. 81% of teachers voted in favor of the one-day walkout.

#SeattleWA #PeoplesStruggles #walkout #PublicSectorUnions #TeachersUnion #Washington #TeachersUnions

Seattle, WA – Thousands of public school teachers, librarians, staff and their supporters boldly took to picket lines for a one day walkout on May 19, demanding better work conditions. The walkout began at 8:00 a.m. and included a picket of local public schools such as West Seattle, Chief Sealth, Rainier Beach, Franklin, Garfield, Roosevelt, Ballard and Hale.

The teacher walkout will march past many schools on their route, and includes a meeting at noon next to the Seattle Experimental Music Project (EMP).

“Join us today as we demand that Washington State fund our schools!” said Phyllis Campano the vice president of the teachers’ union, the Seattle Education Association (SEA).

Supporters are encouraged to use #OneDayWalkout on social media and to also call Washington state legislators at 1-800-562-6000 and leave the message, “Fund our schools!”

At 3:00 p.m. teachers will gather outside of the busy, upscale Westlake Center shopping mall and hold a rally.

Teachers unions and parents across the country are fighting for funding education as state politicians are imposing budget cuts and slashing taxes on the rich.

#SeattleWashington #SeattleWA #TeachersUnion #SeattleEducationAssociation #TeachersUnions