School District won't pay protesting WI teachers & require them to pay for the cost of substitutes
Posted on 03/06/2011 8:48:06 AM PST by Maelstorm
OSHKOSH - The Oshkosh Area School District is withholding pay from teachers who called in sick to protest Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill.
District officials said teachers who called in sick on Feb. 17 and 18 to attend rallies in Madison would not be paid for those days and would be responsible for the cost of their substitute.
Oshkosh schools remained open both days.
According to a district news release, officials said they reached an agreement with local union officials that “sick leave or other paid time should not be used and will not be paid for attending political events on District time.”
The district also said staff members could be suspended or fired for any future call-in incidents.
"They worked probably harder for education I believe when they were in Madison that day, than by missing that one day," Oshkosh North English teacher Sara Marquardt said.
The district says 8-9 percent of teachers skipped work to protest.
Marquardt wouldn't say if she was one of them, but did say she feels they made the right choice.
"They stood up for everyone," she said. "They stood up for all the teachers, but more than the teachers they stood up for all public employees and more importantly they stood up for the students."
But the district says it can't support employees leaving work.
"I think it's just the appropriate thing to do, to rebuild trust in the community, put this issue behind us and move forward," Superintendent Don Viegut said.
The district has also disciplined teachers union President Len Herricks for telling teachers administrators were supporting the sick calls.
"It happened so fast, in haste there were some decisions made that probably would not have been made had there been more time to plan," Herricks said.
However, the 37-year veteran educator says he feels the protests were vital for the future of education.
Herricks wouldn't say how he was disciplined, but did say he will be retiring at the end of they year.
He feels it is reasonable for teachers to pay for days missed and hopes to see all sides, in Oshkosh and in Madison come together.
"We're ready to be part of the solution, teachers are, it's part of our training, it's part of who we are as people," Oshkosh North Counselor Rhonda Bricco.
The district says it will rely on "honesty" from the teachers, when it determines who was sick, and who was protesting.
School District won't pay protesting WI teachers & require them to pay for the cost of substitutes
Well played.
Check-Mate! !
I found it interesting that only 8-9% of teachers called in sick. That suggests the union support isn’t as strong locally as it appears. The truth is teachers even if they disagree with the unions aren’t going to speak up.
They worked probably harder for education I believe when they were in Madison that day, than by missing that one day
LOL! The sad fact is that this is true, but not for the reasons that they claim.
It is true because they weren’t teaching, period, and nothing could be better for real education than their absense
>officials said they reached an agreement with local union officials that “sick leave or other paid time should not be used and will not be paid for<
Is the agreement in black and white? We are talking about a union guy here.
excellent life lesson for the students, IMHO
Indeed. A lot of people around the country who don't normally give a lot of thought to public sector unions got to see them on display in the naked light of day, and learned a whole lot about them.
The other story relates to school boards racing to get new contract agreements with unions before the senators return. I believe this has been the end game all along. Stall till they can get as many contracts signed as possible than come back and face the music.
If we don't win this battle...the show will be over for good! There will be more on the dole than paying into the system.
Calling all out of work ambulance chasers....calling all out of work ambulance chasers...
Pass the popcorn please.
Best idea of all!!!
Oshkosh North English teacher Sara Marquardt had the following thing to say.
“They worked probably harder for education I believe when they were in Madison that day, than by missing that one day,”
If she thinks teachers did more outside of class maybe we should keep them there.
Here is where she can be rated:
http://www.ratemyteachers.com/sarah-marquardt/1391036-t
In my opinion, this in itself is HUGE
Thi unions in the past got away with this sort of blatant violtion of their contract with impunity
And if the govt had the nerve to suggest docking their pay they would have had 10 times as many protests.
I think the news showing doctors handing out sick notes put the nail in this coffin for them, and they will be less likely to do it again
And the unions’ wimpering capitulation ‘agreement’ proves it
Ha!
The Union will file Grievances and it will eventually be decided by an outside arbitrator until the power of these Public Unions is diminished.
Absolutely no way they can spin that striking and deserting students is somehow standing up for students. That is an outright lie.
Make this audio go VIRAL. Get the word out! Ping your lists, send it to your email lists and ask them to forward it, post it on your facebook page, post it on twitter, post it is all over the internet NOW !!!!!
Trying to avoid a Constitutional crisis in Wisconsin. What’s going on is much more than what you think. It’s no more just about “the budget”.
MUST LISTEN to this attorney working with Scott Walker:
bttt
"Lay down with dogs, get up with fleas."
Peer pressure is a terrible thing, union affiliation can and does break up families, friendship is the first thing to go.
I was born and raised in Kohler, which is known for the world's longest labor dispute which started in April of 1954 and was settled seven and one half years later. It was very nasty and enmity exists to this day.
Regards,
GtG
Excellent !
For later.
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