SEA Demonstrations Escalate

"I Don't Want to Strike But I Will"

By Elma Gonzalez

For the past week, teachers at SOH have continued to push for a new contract. We see our teachers every morning passing out flyers, holding signs, and desperately trying to communicate to students and parents the importance of finally deciding on a new contract. Although the 'work to rule' policy has not had such a huge impact here at SOH, other schools like Montgomery have completely eliminated clubs and after-school tutoring programs. At MOH, clubs like MEChA, which is still running here, have lost their advisers and are now having to be run by the students themselves.

However, this seems to have not done much difference to the district, for there hasn't been much progress since Raiders Digest last reported on the issue. Head Union Representative at SOH, Linda O'Carroll, informs that on October 7, when teachers are out on vacation, a labor relations representative from the state of California will come together with both parties and engage in a process called fact-finding. This means both parties will present their propositions to the state rep, and he/she, having analysed all points, will advise the district on what to do. Although the fact-finder's decision "will most likely be pro-teacher," explains O'Carroll, " he/she can only advise the district since the teachers' contract only provides advisory arbitration, and therefore the district can refuse the fact-finder's advice."

After reading hundreds of flyers, students have finally begun to understand the teachers' situation. On September 24, a group of students -mostly of the MEChA club- joined the teachers in their daily morning routine and began to lend a helping hand in distributing the flyers. Daisy Garcia, a MEChA member states, "We are here because we don't want to be like MOH; we don't want our extracurricular activities and clubs to disappear." Holding posters, the students showed solidarity to the teachers' cause. With a reassuring, "We are here to stay," Ana de la Torre and the rest of the students marched in with the teachers just minutes before the first bell.

That same day during lunch, teachers had planned a 'silent walk' around the school as a display of teacher unity. They had planned to wear black -like every Thursday- and hold no signs or posters, which would have made the walk an actual protest. Alarmed by this, the district claimed it to be a protest and declared it illegal for teachers to do the 'walk' on campus. With a call to our school principal, the whole event was terminated. Undeterred, the teachers decided to make a real protest in front of the school instead. While being cheered on by the student body, they marched to the front of the school. Once outside, they stood on the sidewalk holding signs that wrote, " I don't want to strike, but I will." Hopefully, the district and the Union will find a solution that will prevent our teachers from having to do this.

*For more on this issue go to:
http://sohraidersdigest.blogspot.com/2009_08_09_archive.html
http://sohraidersdigest.blogspot.com/2009_08_23_archive.html
http://sohraidersdigest.blogspot.com/2009_09_13_archive.html