Why Not Strike During the Summer?

I mean, the reality is that the unions are not at ALL interested in the taxpayer who pays the bills NOR the kid's education. And teachers don't speak out because, well...they'd miss out on fun summer stuff. They'd prefer to wait until the school year starts so they don't have to be in the classroom when this goes on. It's not to lump ALL teachers together. At the same time, striking during the summer makes way more sense, and you don't hear teacher's on the picket line saying, "I'd prefer we do this in the summer." So, the idea that they are keeping the kid's interests in mind is a bit of a farce.

what are you even talking about?

@NJChicaa I am saying that when teachers strike, they talk about the kids still being their focus, yet, if that were true, they would strike when it DOESN'T keep the kids at home. Teachers would speak out against the union and say, "Let's strike during the summer so we don't impact the kid's education while we fight." The fact is the focus is not on the kids and their needs. It's on THEM and THEIR needs.

I cannot find anything that states it is explicitly illegal in the State of New Jersey to strike, unless this is a new law. The word "explicitly" is the operative word here, by the way, because there is a difference if it is not explicitly prohibited. It is also questionable that it is particularly truthful if it IS law, since a strike is not broadly defined in most state laws around this. For example, sick outs are not considered a strike. But the result and impact is the same. Teachers don't show up for work and school days are disrupted. Walk outs are also not necessarily considered a strike since in order for it to be a "strike," the union has to actually call it that. A strike can be implied without being necessarily an actual, official, strike called for by the union. And in fact, in cases where these have occurred the union has said, "The teachers acted in solidarity of their own fruition in support of our contract proposals with no direct instruction to walk out or conduct a sick out by the union itself." In other words, it's a gray area. Beyond that, there was a strike in Jersey City in 2018. There was one in 1974 in Long Branch. AND strikes have still occurred in New Jersey despite laws such as one in 1967 when 400 teachers walked out and it was left to the courts to decide the action to be taken—in other words, it becomes a matter heard by the courts regardless of the law, in which case the unions can make arguments that the strike was justified due to extenuating circumstances prompting the violation and the ultimate need for the strike. There's lots more on this. But the bottom line is that it can be assumed that if a large enough group of people take a united stance, there comes a point at which, while the discourse of that may be illegal, that imposing the consequences can also be impractical and have a worse outcome than a prosecution of the law would. For example, if an entire school district's employees violate the law and are effectively terminated, and this were to happen during a school year, how quickly and how effectively could the school district meet the needs of the public sufficiently to satisfy the greater good? To suggest that strikes could absolutely NOT occur as a matter of law is naive and not necessarily true considering that the outcomes of either conducting the strike or upholding the law would incur the same exact result ultimately.

@porwest I've worked for this school district for 23 years. I'm not an expert on union things though I am a member and pay my dues each check. From what I have been told teachers in NJ can't strike. Years ago someone said that we could and just didn't have to answer the door when whoever would deliver subpoenas or whatever. That has never happened or even been on the table. We have never reached a suitable contract during just regular negotiations in all of these years. Our union is very strong and my school in particular--well we are known as the renegades. We've gone to mediation with a state-appointed arbitrator. We always go into mediation. We can't strike but we do show admin and the public that we are united. We do "job actions" which don't impact students but show that we are united. We all wear the same color shirt to a PD day. We go to a BOE meeting and 700 people walk out at the same time in the middle of it. We all wait to sign in at 7 am as required which takes like 15 minutes. My building in particular is badass. You tell us we can't wear jeans? HAHAH we will wear them every day. Like the staff has no more Fs to give. We do things to show administration that we are united but nothing that would harm students.

@porwest Teachers don’t get paid for the summer break. We are 10 month employees. I *choose* to have money withheld from each paycheck during the year for summer savings. Then the district disburses it July 1, July 15, August 1, and August 15. It’s not new earnings. It’s money I already earned during the year.

It's not about anyone paying attention. It's supposed to be about looking out for the interests of the kids. If education is so important, why stop educating to look out for their own interests when they have three months off that they can focus on that? They would if it truly mattered. But of course, it doesn't. It would interrupt their vacations. PAID vacations, by the way that no one else gets. The average teacher's salary in the United States is $69,544 according to the NEA. Break that into the 9 months they actually work, and that works out to be the equivalent salary of someone working 12 months a year to be $92,725. Consider that ON TOP OF ALL OF THAT, the average # of weeks teachers are awarded for vacation, paid sick leave and personal leave is 5.6 weeks. So, if the total # of months actually worked works out to be about 7 1/2 months when median income for everyone else is $67,521 that everyone else gets for working 12 months, what extra pay are they really fighting for that is justified? NOT ONLY do they get paid MORE than median income for 7 1/2 months of work, but they can also work part time jobs in the summer and make even more. Another option most people do not have. Enough of my soapbox. lol The bottom line is, teachers are paid MORE than fairly, so let's just focus on the kids, shall we, and end this charade that is bilking taxpayers out of their hard-earned money for all of this nonsense about not getting paid enough. And by the way, most teachers also receive massive pensions that are almost half of their full pay. And no one else gets that either.

@porwest Yes! We are getting the house ready for him.

@LindaOHio Very glad to hear it. I bet he's looking forward to it too.

You as well, and fingers crossed you're now just days away from enjoying a weekend with hubby.