National Teacher Sickout (wildcat)

[Hannah Bell]

RESIST
Calling all teachers to participate in a NON-UNION sponsored sick-out to protest:

■federal meddling in public education
■public education profiteering
■excessive testing
■scripted and narrowed curricula
■gutting of arts, vocational education, science, and history
■wasteful bureaucracy
■incompetent and antagonistic administrators
We demand local control and accountability for public education!

SPREAD THE WORD!


http://sickout.org/

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[brooklynite]

4. Unrec...

It is one thing to challenge the legality and morality of Republican policies through the political process (protests, petitioning, lobbying, etc). However, a "sickout" or other refusal to work implies a threat of power: "deal with our demands (however reasonable or unreasonable) or risk having the education system grind to a halt." To do that is to risk a public perception that teachers are, as Republicans suggest, only in it for the money and benefits, and that they don't care about the voter's children.

[Brickbat]

6. Yes, God forbid teachers should be conscious of and exercise their power.

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. Unbelievable

"the threat of power"

Yeah, no shit.

What we're dealing with.

[brooklynite]

8. In a political environment where they can LOSE that power, yes indeed...

[Brickbat]

10. No one ever loses the power to withhold their own labor.

They can choose to follow laws, or they can protest immoral ones.

ETA: In your mind, what IS a good time to exercise that power? Or should they just not do it at all, ever?

[uppityperson]

9. How DARE teachers want a decent wage and not be doing it out of altruistic caring for kids!

I mean, really!

[Brickbat]

2. OK, I read that as "non-union teachers," not a sickout that is not called by the union.

[Hannah Bell]

3. no, sick-out not called by the union, ie wildcat

[Brickbat]

5. Yup, got it. ETA:

I think the one-day action is aiming too low. If anyone goes out, they should go out for good. I disagree with a scheduled, announced, one-day action. But I do find wildcat calls very interesting.

[LostinNY]

11. Unrec

It's May and I won't leave my students unless I am really sick! There are plenty of other ways I can bargain and fight for my rights! To many people out there already think "you only work 180 days" ; Yes it's true they're clueless but I am not supporting a protest that makes them feel even more smug and takes away from my students!