Posted on 02/18/2011 11:52:25 AM PST by so_real
State law prohibits public school teachers from striking. So did Wednesday's "sick out" by Madison School District teachers constitute an illegal strike?
No, said John Matthews, Madison Teachers Inc. executive director, who called the event "a political action," not a strike.
"They're not protesting against their employers," he said. "The employer had nothing to do with this. This is trying to save public education in Wisconsin."
Madison school officials didn't respond immediately Wednesday to requests for comment.
Peter Davis, legal counsel with the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, which administers the state's collective bargaining laws, declined to say whether the action in which 40 percent of the Madison union's 2,600 members called in sick as of late Tuesday amounted to a strike since his organization could be called on to make that judgment in any complaint against MTI.
But in general, Davis said, a strike includes any concerted work stoppage by municipal employees, any concerted interruption of operation of services, or any concerted refusal to work or perform normal duties for the purpose of enforcing demands on a municipal employer.
Of course it’s a strike. Proving it is another question.
Of course. So what? Nothing will be done about it.
Uhm... their "employers" are state taxpayers represented by their legally elected Governor and representatives.
So yes, they are "protesting against their employers".
Any person that called in sick and can be identified on video as being at the protest should be fired for fraud.
Wildcat strike!
Federal courts have held that wildcat strikes are illegal and that employers may fire workers participating in them.
(1935 National Labor Relations Act)
But laws don’t apply to liberals if they feel they are doing the right thing.
I heard a spokesperson for the teachers’ union say on the radio about a half hour ago that if the state tries to discipline the teachers in any way, the union will make it too expensive for the state to continue the process.
How arrogant can you get?
When does their contract run out.
No contract - no job.
Big new sign;
.....NOW HIRING
If they called in sick and they weren’t sick and they cash their payroll check, then they are guilty of theft under false pretenses.
The union can outspend the government? What an idiot. Governor Walker can sink them, but this dimwit’s ego got the better of him. BTW Milwaukee is closed down today too because of the ‘sick out’. Funny thing, supposedly the only way to come back to work is an offical doctor’s excuse. Riiiiight. I hope it goes on for a little longer so the core constituents of the Democrats (inner city) are harshly affected by the teacher and senator walk out shennanigans. Then there will be he// to pay (but of course it will be blamed on Bush or some such thing).
It would be funny if some high school kids rearranged the signs in front of their schools to say “Now Hiring teachers who care about our Education”
he sounds like a good little Shanker:
Albert Shanker: “When school children start paying union dues, that ‘s when I’ll start representing the interests of school children.”
Albert Shanker (September 14, 1928 February 22, 1997) was President of the United Federation of Teachers from 1964 to 1984 as well as President of the American Federation of Teachers from 1974 to 1997.
Their contract could already be “out”. It is the way of public employee unions to stall and stall on contracts. The contracts are always for 2 years to coincide with the State budget process. Since a new budget process is due to start on July 1, 2011, even if they are current on their contracts, the present contract will expire on June 30, 2011.
The teachers’ contract is with the local school district, not the state. The local school district has a duly elected board and that is the employer.
The union can outspend the government. They have staff lawyers who have nothing better to do. Plus, the teachers’ contract is very blurry on sick days - even allowing for “mental health” days.
The union stooge I saw said that the state would be forced to prosecute the discipline cases one by one and prove that each person was guilty of not being out sick according to the terms of the contract. Get the drift?
Sounds like the WI AG better get busy firing some senators,too.
It is absolutely a wildcat strike. If it isn’t then the union is on the line to be decertified!
No matter where you work, if you walk out it is a wildcat.
Refer. to NLRA
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.