The Detroit teacher strike has ended with a whimper, not a bang. We voted to return to work and formally vote by ballot on the tentative agreement. This has been a draining day, so hang in there if my style flags and typing/spelling falters.
At 8 a.m., teachers and support staff began glumly filing in to Cobo Arena. We were handed the details of the tentative agreement. The mood was as grim as I’ve every seen it. The faction that always pushes for a longer strike unless we get everything we want was hard at work. I do not mean to question their sincerity. What they want is great. Ideally great. Sometime back there in my 20’s or 30’s the quest for ideal was lost in the struggle with the real. But I digress.
The meeting was scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. The hall was filled with angry muttering and occasional angry shouts as people read the tentative agreement. There was something to anger everyone. Young, Old, Elementary, Secondary. There was also a key feature that I believe turned the tide. The steps that had been frozen last year were restored. This means that for the newer teachers that had less than 10 years seniority, they jumped up two steps. I’m too tired to say exactly what that equals, but it is close to $3,000. (I’ll check this later and correct, if needed.)
The restoration of the steps help dull the edge of another year with no raise. We have not had a raise since 2003. For people like me, at the top of the pay scale, we slide back in purchasing power yet again.
We will get a 1% raise next year, and a 2.5% the following year. But few people expect this to happen. The mistrust of the administration is so profound that it is widely expected that the district will attempt to renege on these paltry raises. There is a possibility that we get a larger increase if the K – 16 Initiative passes.
One possible important victory is the creation of a “Financial Review Committee” with union and administration participation. This committee will meet monthly to discuss:
1. The District’s use of special purpose state and Federal funds.
2. Teacher Service Formulas. (Sets staffing levels based on school student counts.)
3. Means to eliminate missed preparation periods. (Many principals abuse this.)
4. “Any other subject which the parties agree could result in financial savings to the District’s general fund.”
If this last point is aggressively pursued by the committee, it could yield real benefits.
I’ve wandered away from the meeting itself. The meeting was the angriest and most divided DFT meeting I ever been part of. It was angrily pointed out that in 1968 Detroit was the 3rd highest paid District in SE Michigan. Now we are closer to 73rd.
People want language on reduced class size. We have that already, but it is ignored. People are angry that they do not have textbooks or materials. Last year there were
approximately 5,500 crimes reported on school property.It’s too disheartening to go on.
The final vote to return to school and formally vote on the contract was, I’m estimating here, 60% -40% in favor of returning. Maybe 55% – 45%. (It was a “standing vote.”)
We are going back, but there are a lot of angry, frustrated teachers in Detroit who feel that the they have been kicked in the teeth yet again by the central administration.
We can’t stop fighting, but we need new tools. I will take the many good ideas you’ve shared with and see what we can do with them. I will watch the “Financial Oversight Committee” and see if I can help there. I doubt I’ll be selected to be on the committee (my temperamental resistance to joining groups has keep me out of the Union spotlight), but I’ll give it a try. If not, there are independent ways to work.
Thanks again to the many people who have shared their good ideas and warm feelings.
