Tag: PAT

PJSTA Unanimously Votes to Support Portland Teachers

At tonight’s executive board meeting the PJSTA’s executive board unanimously approved the following resolution…

Whereas, the Portland Public Schools are harming students and educators with a refusal to negotiate a fair contract, particularly in regards to class sizes, teacher workloads, wages, insurance coverage, and staffing levels and

Whereas, the Portland Association of Teachers, a fellow NEA local, now sit on the front lines of the fight for quality public education;

Be it resolved, that the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association supports them in their fight.

Portland, Oregon Teachers Vote to Strike!

Yesterday we mentioned the possibility of Portland Oregon’s teachers going on strike.  Late last night the PAT‘s rank and file overwhelmingly authorized a strike.

Via Reuters…

Teachers in Portland, Oregon’s largest school district, voted Wednesday night to authorize a strike, setting the stage for a walkout that could disrupt classes for nearly 48,000 students, union officials said.

Portland’s 2,828 teachers have been engaged for months in contentious off-and-on negotiations with the district on a new three-year contract, and the strike authorization vote clears the way for a strike on February 20 if no settlement is reached, the Portland Association of Teachers said late Wednesday.

“No teacher ever wants to go on strike, we want to be in classrooms with our students,” union president Gwen Sullivan said in a statement after the vote.

…

“We can still negotiate after a strike vote,” Miles said. “We are still at the table. We are still trying to come to an agreement.”

A strike authorization does not necessarily mean that the teachers will walk out. It does, however, allow union leaders to declare a strike if negotiations are not successful.

…

The district already is bracing for a possible walkout with plans to keep its 78 schools open using substitute teachers if the need arises.

Some parents, however, have expressed concern at the prospect of their children crossing picket lines to attend classes or extracurricular activities during a strike.

“I don’t think we would send them to school with substitutes. We support the teachers,” said Ali King, the mother of two daughters in the sixth and ninth grades. “Even with qualified subs, it will be a disruptive atmosphere.”

…

Students at several Portland high schools were planning to stage their own rallies to show support for teachers before the vote on Wednesday.

The union and school district have been at odds over class size, teacher workloads, wages and insurance coverage, but the issue of staffing levels has emerged as the chief stumbling block.

The @PATSolidarity Twitter account reported…

Our brothers and sisters in the PAT, and NEA local, have moved to the front lines in the battle for quality public education.  We will monitor this situation very closely and the PJSTA will support them in any way we can as we stand in solidarity with them.

Two Strike Votes Tonight

Tonight there will be two strike votes taking place.  One of the votes will feature a teachers union while the other features a Long Island union.

This evening at 7:00 pm Pacific time teachers in Portland, Oregon will be voting on whether or not to authorize a strike.  The Portland Association of Teachers, an NEA local, is made up of nearly 3,000 teachers plus more than 1,000 substitute teachers.  Today, in solidarity with their teachers, students held walkouts around the city of Portland.  As the story unfolds we will have more here at thepjsta.org.  You can follow @PATSolidarity on Twitter to keep track of the story in real time.  The PJSTA is proud to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Portland!

The other strike vote taking place tonight is that of the LIRR’s largest union.  Via Newsday...

The Sheet Metal, Air and Transportation Union/United Transportation Union, which represents nearly half of LIRR laborers, will cast their ballots at back-to-back meetings in Massapequa Wednesday night. SMART UTU general chairman Anthony Simon, who expects a unanimous “yes” vote from members, said he will also be handing out picket signs and coordinating strike captains.

Smaller LIRR unions have already approved similar votes to walk off the job as early as March 21. Simon said his union’s vote — the first of its kind in two decades — is “the toughest for our members ever to make.”

“This is going to affect their finances, their families, and the Long Island economy,” Simon said. “But they are standing united with their union, because they have been pushed around far too long.”

…

In November, President Barack Obama appointed a Presidential Emergency Board to help resolve the dispute. After listening to arguments from labor and management during a weeklong Manhattan hearing, the board largely ruled in the unions’ favor, saying that the MTA could afford to give workers raises without having to raise fares. The unions accepted the board’s nonbinding recommendations, but the MTA rejected them.

The PJSTA proudly stands in solidarity with all of their brothers and sisters in the labor movement.  We will have more on these situations as they unfold.