Teachers shouldn’t be bullied by colleagues

The Frontiersman has heard from several teachers working in the Mat-Su Borough School District that have been told not to do extra work or work after hours in abeyance with the work to contract action under way.

In fact, some of them have said they are fed up with the contract leverage action.

We understand school employees would like improvement in salaries and others worry about paying more of their share for health insurance. That’s between them and the school district.

But when teachers are routinely harassed for trying go the extra mile for their students, that’s just out of line.

If teachers want to grade papers before or after school they shouldn’t be berated by their colleagues.

Those teachers who want what’s best for students should be able to determine what hours they want to put in beyond the seven-and-half-hour day in the contract.

Those teachers and employees who want to stick to the contract certainly are within their right. They agreed to the contract and that’s that.

Teachers who want to work more shouldn’t be treated like scabs, like they’re crossing some picket line. This is, after all, not a work stoppage or strike. In that case, crossing a picket line would have far more grave consequences.

In most strike situations, there are votes taken among the members to decide if they want to walk off the job or not. A lot of thought goes into that kind of work action. Sometimes multiple votes are taken as the union adjusts its demands after listening to its members’ wishes.

The work to contract decision certainly didn’t rise to that level. In fact, notification that it would happen wasn’t made public until just a couple of days before it went into effect. That hardly gives parents time to adjust their schedules when after school activities are part of their planning.

Just last Saturday night, organizers of the Wasilla High School prom started with some confusion. When a band of teachers who would normally help with chaperoning duties weren’t available, last-minute phone calls were made to parents and teachers with stipends for activities to help out.

Let’s hope negotiations can prove more positive so this kind of action doesn’t carry on for long. It has been said by one union official that if talks don’t work out, the work to contract might extend to fall.

More importantly, if employees don’t feel they are treated well, a strike would seem the next step. And that would be harmful to the entire community.