Teachers walk the line Thursday morning in front of Champlain Elementary School on Pine Street in Burlington. VBM photos.
by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Members of the Burlington Education Association went on strike Thursday morning as a last-minute call by a former federal mediator and Mayor Miro Weinberger failed to find a resolution Wednesday evening. Burlington public schools were cancelled for the day for the approximate 3,600 students. The union and teachers have been at odds for more than a year, primarily over wages, health insurance and staffing levels. The board and union barely averted a strike exactly one year ago.
“The board continues to claim that it wants to work collaboratively with us to address the achievement gap, but their actions say otherwise,” said Fran Brock, a Burlington High School History teacher who serves as president of the 400-member union. “Today, they had an opportunity to work with us to address the achievement gap in our elementary schools. They did not take that opportunity. They had an opportunity to work with us to stem the exodus of teachers by reaching a deal that attracts and retains the best for our city’s students. They failed to do so. And they continued their years-long quest to institute top-down approaches that do nothing for our students.”
For its part, the School Board said in a statement that the money issues had been resolved but the union subsequently introduced unspecified additional demands: "The board entered the bargaining session today understanding the primary obstacle to settlement was resolving operational issues at the high school. These issues were resolved early in today’s session. Subsequently the BEA brought additional demands."
Teachers earlier in the week had voted to strike Wednesday, but agreed to hold off because a former federal mediator invited both sides and the mayor to meet.
After previous negotiations during the spring and summer broke down in August, the board voted September 1 to impose terms of employment just after the previous contract expired. The board imposed terms last year after the previous contract expired. The union said this is also only one of seven times in the state's history that terms have been imposed more than once, which, it said, is rare even once.
“We’ve compromised – again today – on health insurance and salary,” Brock said in a statement late Wednesday, saying teachers were willing to accept the recommendations of a neutral fact-finder. “I guess the board really meant what it said when it rejected the reasonable approach outlined by the fact-finder.”
Brock noted that the union’s bargaining committee accepted high school working condition language that establishes a collaborative committee to examine means of providing services to students in effort to close the achievement gap. However, Brock said, the board insisted on imposing too many non-teaching duties on elementary school teachers, limiting their ability to provide professional services to students.
“We’ve been trying to get the board to understand that elementary teachers are having too much of their time drawn away from one-on-one interaction with students,” Brock said. “And now, for more than three years, they still won’t budge.”
On its Web site, the Burlington School District said that school and all activities will be cancelled Thursday, similar to a snow day: "We have notified parents by phone that there is no school. This will be announced on television and the radio as well. As with snow days, there would be no after school or athletic events held on the day of the strike. School and activities will remain cancelled until further notice. The District will continue to update parents on the progress of the strike.
Lawn signs supporting the teachers are popping up on leafy side streets around Burlington. VBM photos.
"We do not know how long the strike will last at this time. Our current plan for access to meals is as follows: Day 1 – 3 of strike: Bagged meals available at all sites- Meals will be served from 11AM – 12PM. Day 4 and beyond: Sites to be determined based on participation
"Your children may have some questions about the strike. Here are some suggestions to help them understand why school has been cancelled."
The Web site statement explained the reason for the strike with this statement: "The Burlington School Board and teachers are having a disagreement about how best to serve students. Both care very much about students. Teachers have decided to strike."
The South Burlington board has also imposed a contract on its teachers, as it too has had ongoing labor issues. Teachers there so far have chosen not to strike.
Regular union updates can be found at www.beaworks.com. The BEA also has a strike headquarters at 294 North Winooski Ave, Suite 125 in Burlington.
The Burlington School District Web site can be found at www.bsdvt.org.