WI School Board Punishes Teachers Who Called In Sick During Protests

[deminks]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/wi-school-board-punishes-teachers-who-called-in-sick-during-protests.php?ref=fpi

Tuesday night, the Hudson, Wisconsin Board of Education announced punishments for teachers who called in sick on February 18, forcing their schools to close, at the height of the protests over Gov. Scott Walker's anti-union measure.

According to The Hudson Star-Observer Board president Barb VanLoenen read a resolution, which passed unanimously, announcing unpaid suspensions of up to 15 days. All the teachers will receive letters of reprimand and a warning will be added to their personnel files. The longer suspensions were issued to teachers "who encouraged colleagues to call in sick and who conducted or discussed union business or talked to the media on district property."

Deputy Superintendent Nancy Sweet said more details about the number of teachers in each category and what the district's investigation uncovered would be available at a later time.

(end snip)

What vindictive asswipes.

[bbinacan]

1. Good news! n/t

[Webster Green]

3. What's good about it?

Do you hate teachers? Hate unions? :wtf:

[bbinacan]

8. I hate people that call in sick

when they're not.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

9. This was a strike

are you against them?

[pintobean]

10. It wasn't a strike.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

13. well, in a way it seemed so - maybe not officially

but I am no expert on this at all

[eowyn_of_rohan]

16. It was a "sick out". That is rather like a strike, no?

too late to edit my other post...

[eowyn_of_rohan]

23. Walker's bill, if passed, would prohibit future strikes of the same kind.

So what were they supposed to do?

Democratic senators flee Wisconsin, teachers strike for second day in a row
February 18, 2011
Ballot News

With respect to state law, legal issues are surfacing with this week’s “sick out.” Wisconsin law prohibits teacher strikes, however, many argue for the legality of the protest, claiming it is not directed at an employer, disqualifying it as a strike.

John Matthews, the Madison Teachers Inc. executive director, referred to the events “a political action,” not a strike.

Peter Davis, legal counsel with the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, a commission which administers collective bargaining laws, thinks differently. “A strike includes any concerted work stoppage by municipal employees, any concerted interruption of operation of services, or any concerted refusal to work or perform normal duties for the purpose of enforcing demands on a municipal employer.”

...(Walker's bill), if passed, would prohibit future strikes of the same kind. The bill reads, “This bill authorizes a state agency to discharge any state employee who fails to report to work as scheduled for any three unexcused working days during a state of emergency or who participates in a strike, work stoppage, sit−down, stay−in, slowdown, or other concerted activities to interrupt the of operations or services of state government, including specifically purported mass resignations or sick calls. Under the bill, engaging in any of these actions constitutes just cause for discharge/"

http://ballotnews.org/2011/02/18/14-democratic-senators-flee-wisconsin-teachers-strike-for-second-day-in-a-row/

[eowyn_of_rohan]

31. wrong.

[bbinacan]

14. So announce a strike

Don't call in sick. That's weak.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

15. These teachers are union members who staged a "sickout"

in order to protest against Walker's bill to abolish collective bargaining. I don't see why you have a problem with that.

[bbinacan]

17. Why not announce a strike?

That seems more honest.

[pintobean]

20. It may come to that

but it makes no sense to do it before the law is enacted. It could be in court for years.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

25. If the law is enacted they will be fired if they strike

that is why they held a strike in Feb - to protest the bill!

[pintobean]

26. It wasn't a strike or a sick out.

They went to a protest instead of going to work, then claimed to be out sick. Some even turned in fraudulent Doctors' notes. They had no plan and winged it in a very poor manor.

They COULD be fired if they strike after the law is enacted.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

21. A "sickout" IS a type of strike action

This is used in cases where laws prohibit certain employees from declaring a strike. Police, firefighters, and air traffic controllers are among the groups commonly barred from striking: usually by state and federal laws meant to ensure the safety and/or security of the general public. So are teachers in some U.S. states.

That is from Wikipedia.

There was nothing dishonest about what they did.

[gratuitous]

12. Not just good, excellent news

Union workers have a process to appeal unfair decisions by management, and I'm sure the school board's decision will be ruled illegal and unenforceable by an arbitrator. The teachers will receive full compensation for any lost wages, removal of any detrimental reports in their personnel records, and the board will have to pay the fees for passing their petulant little resolution, providing a good lesson in personal responsibility. I can't think of a better demonstration for folks to see why workers banding together for their own common good is a terrific idea.

[badtoworse]

18. On what basis do you think it would be overturned?

[gratuitous]

29. Any number of reasons

First, the board made a blanket decision, and it's impossible to say why any particular teacher might have missed work that day. Second, sick leave is almost certainly a defined benefit, and denying the use of sick leave without citing a contract violation by any particular teacher who might have called in sick that day is grounds for a grievance. I don't have the district's contract in front of me, but there are almost certainly other grievable violations of the contract by the board's action.

That's one advantage of union representation: collective bargaining and a contract that defines the obligations and responsibilities of both workers and management. In "at will" employment, management can do pretty much as it pleases (within the law) and employees don't have much recourse.

[Starry Messenger]

27. +1000

Thank you for that. :thumbsup:

[eowyn_of_rohan]

30. Excellent! Thanks for your take on this -nt

[white_wolf]

19. Wow.

I never thought I would see so much union bashing here on DU. It is really disappointing.

[FLAprogressive]

22. Just look at some of the threads relating to American vs. Foreign cars yesterday...

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Berserker]

2. Hudson

is full of vindictive asswipes. Looks like a great reason to protest the Hudson Board of Education. Fucking repukes it never ends.

[mrmpa]

4. It'll end when

the repukes no longer exist. I know their plan is to wipe out the left, but I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon. I will fight them tooth and nail.

[mysuzuki2]

5. I wonder if this will fly

most union contracts spell out in detail how sick time is granted, what kind of documentation is required etc. They also usually spell out clearly how discipline is imposed. The action of the board may turn out to be in violation of their contract. I predict this will end up in court.

[Bjorn Against]

6. Harsher penalties for people who discuss union activities at work?

I don't know how that can fly, is it actually legal for them to prevent workers from talking about their union? Considering that union activities directly relate to their job this seems particularly unjust.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

11. I don't see how they can penalize them for that

If they talked about union activities at any other time while in the school, would that be illegal, too?

[Bjorn Against]

7. Harsher penalties for people who discuss union activities at work?

I don't know how that can fly, is it actually legal for them to prevent workers from talking about their union? Considering that union activities directly relate to their job this seems particularly unjust.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

24. freaking brownshirts... -nt