BTU Calls For Teachers To Disrupt Schools
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The Broward Teachers Union has called on teachers to Work To The Rule, a tactic designed to disrupt the school system so much that the School Board caves in to the union’s salary demands.
The move guarantees they will lose more support from parents.
And parents, after all, pay teachers’ salaries.
One of the items the BTU calls on teachers to cancel — parent conferences.
Are you mad yet?
The Work To the Rule maneuver is often used by a union when negotations for salaries and benefits aren’t going its way.
The union hopes that by having teachers follow every rule in the contract, there will be disorder in the schools’ work environment. Then School Board will be forced to settle the negotiations.
The BTU wants to pry more money out of the taxpayers’ pockets during this recession.
Here is the union notice to their members.
Below is a list of actions that the BTU wants teachers to take. The spelling and punctuation is the BTUs:
- Everybody gather at starting time in one location and enter the building as a group.
- Everyone gather at the end of the workday and leave together promptly.
- Do not schedule any parent conference so planning time can be used for lesson prep and grading.
- Do not attend any meetings, IEP grade/department, etc during planning time except for the principals faculty meeting.
- Do not take any student work home with you.
- Do not volunteer for any committees or extra duties for which you don’t receive supplementary pay.
- Do not schedule any after-school detentions or tutoring.
- Do not return to your classroom until your 30-minute duty-free lunch is over.
- Limit your graded assignment to one per subject for an entire week.
- Except during recess for your students, do not supervise students on school grounds, hallways, restrooms or the lunchroom unless you are paid to do so.
- Do not collect or transmit money.
- Refuse to cover classes for other teachers.
- Refuse to accept students back into class who have been referred for disciplinary action until a written response is received.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:33 am
This is beyond disgraceful. These types of tactics cannot be tolerated. There are many out here who are struggling; I personally have not received a pay increase in over 2 years due to the crumbling economy. I am happy to have my job and my pay check at the end of each month. Do I want a raise, sure I do, but I am realistic enough to know that it is not currently possible for my employer to do so. Where does the BTU think this money will come from? Why is it teachers are thought to need raises during this time of belt tightening, they do not work any harder than millions of others do in their respective fields of choice. The taxpaying public (those of us that actually pay our taxes) are tightening our belts; so should the BTU.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
How does the BTU plan to enforce the teachers to “Work to the rule”? Only a small percentage are doing anything extra for their students. The vast majority show up 15 mins before the 1st bell rings, and haul butt 15 mins after the closing bell. Getting many to perform to the minimum will be very upsetting and will undoubtedly lead to an outcry that they are being “overworked”.
Teachers, if you don’t like the contract you have now, quit. Go see how marketable you are in the real world. Most would be lucky to find jobs making 1/3 of their currents pay. Few of us have the job security of a tenured teacher. You better “dummy up” and see the value of of your present position.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
If working to the rule of the contract will disrupt schools, then there is something wrong with the contract. Does that make sense? Perhaps some of these rules are not good for kids and if so they should be removed from contracts.
Workers working to the rule of their contract should disrupt nothing.
Worse, when any teacher places their union interests above the interests of their students they cease being public servants and become public enemies.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Work to the rule disrupts nothing.
It is a statement that NO more free work, extra unpaid hours for 12 days. The district wants to give nothing and expect more all the while wasting millions and losing it through corrupt contractor deals. The teacher raises are a drop in the bucket compared to what the crooks at the top are stealing from our pockets.
And Notter is privy to every slimy deal.
FROM BUDDY: When I worked at the Sun-Sentinel, there were hours and hours of “extra” work beyond 40 hours almost every week. This was true for almost every reporter and editor. We were professionals and it was part of the job.
Teachers are professionals. The BTU is asking teachers to refuse work that is part of teaching and part of running schools smoothly.
It is wrong.
The BTU doesn’t get it. Taxpayers don’t have any more to give, especially in a recession.
That said, I agree that the School Board doesn’t take the endemic corruption surrounding it seriously enough.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
This is just outrageous. BTU loses credibility that the only problem in education is the SB. Instead, with this type of collective bargaining behavior, they should be thrown out. How a teacher could read this and think this is ok is beyond me?
NEVER is it appropriate to refuse parent teacher conferences
NEVER is it appropriate to refuse to supervise or monitor children for safety.
Teachers should demand an outing of who wrote and approved this strategy.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
These BTU defenders above are trying to put a good face on an appalling lack of cconcern by the union for the students and parents.
Of course, work by the rule’s aim is to disrupt schools. Why else do it?
The writer who said there is something wrong with the contract is right. Rip the contract up and make it more like the private sector.
November 5th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
And Buddy, why are you no longer at the Sun Sentinel?
And.. Yes taxpayers have no more to give… but the School Board would it if quit wasting and got rid of the bloated staff at the Crystal Palace. Lots of programs that exist to justify their own existence….it is rampant there.
Not to mention the good ole boys
(Friends of Jim) who get rehired and retreaded into made up work
at high salaries. Buddy, do an article on that.
November 5th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
People have you not been reading the papers, this website, amd Bob Norman? We have a school board more interested in enriching themselves than educating our kids! The only thing our ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD members have been focusing on is handing our fat contracts to campaign contributors! Teachers get screwed across the board and our reaction is those lazy #@$%’s get the summer off. Scream about BTU all you want, but these same teachers have our childrens futures in their hands and the thanks they get from their employer isn’t a bonus or stock options or a job for their spouse after they’ve voted a certain way on a construction or insurance contract. If the School Board was in the business of educating our kids BTU would be behaving badly on behalf of its members – the foundation of this problem is clearly with the school board and that’s who should be held accountable. This isn’t about raises or boundaries or portables – this is about children who are growing up in a country where a decent public education used to be a right, not a priveledge. Someone name one of these Jokers on the school board or our Superintendent who is interested in educating kids. The whole sustem is geared toward satisfying a group of corrupt elected officials from Notter to his area superitendents on down – let’s not be so stoooopid as to blame the teachers, they seems to be the only ones EARNING their money.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:19 am
“NEVER is it appropriate to refuse parent teacher conferences
NEVER is it appropriate to refuse to supervise or monitor children for safety.”
The district consistently cites these and many other things that they are expected to do in the regular course of running a school as “unfunded mandates”
November 6th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Most teachers became teachers to teach and enrich the lives of our future leaders. They are not stupid enough to listen to Pat SantMORON. He knows about working to the rule, he does as little possible to keep his high-paying job. WHOEVER IS HIS BOSS THEY NEED TO OUST PAT….He is not liked and they, the teachers deserve better representation.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Do not forget that BTUseless is in bed with the board. This was done many years ago and nothing was accomplished!
Remember that nothing will happen to Pat and the boys. They will continue to collect their large salaries, perks and double dipping. The teachers, students and parents continue to get screwed!
Get rid of BTUseless and the rest of the board for starters.
November 7th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Except during recess for your students, do not supervise students on school grounds, hallways, restrooms or the lunchroom unless you are paid to do so.
This should be very comforting to the guardians of the school children who attend Broward Co. Public Schools.
Start the layoffs…
November 9th, 2009 at 11:49 am
DISRUPT??!?!?! We would all rather STRIKE, but some idiot took that option away.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:57 am
The comment by “Roose” is typical of union goons who would rob Floridians of their last dimes.
Public employees who strike should immediately lose their jobs and their union leadership should be jailed.
If they don’t like that, work for the private sector. There are plenty of private schools and day care centers.