Madison, Wisconsin school officials say union teachers who call in sick to attend protests face docked pay and possibly other disciplinary measures. According to Madison Metropolitan School District spokesman Ken Syke, school management informed teachers before the sick-out began that teachers calling in sick would have to prove that they were actually ill — or they would be disciplined.
“We announced to the staff earlier this week, when we first got wind of this, that if they were sick they had to have written verification from their health care provider if they were indeed sick for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday,” says Syke. “If they don’t have that, they are for sure going to be docked their pay, and secondly they are liable for other consequences. We have not yet determined to have those or not, but the docking of pay will take place for sure.”
This is the note that went out to employees on Tuesday:
Syke adds that such scrutiny is not the regular order of business, but is allowed under the school’s union contract with its teachers. “It’s not our normal policy,” Syke says, “but it’s in the collective bargaining agreement.”
The spokesman says there is a “wide range of options” for discipline beyond docked pay but declined to specify what those might be. When asked whether teachers might be fired, he said, “Firing is probably not an option, at least for the whole group.”
Syke and other school administration employees are not covered by union agreements. But he points out that other school workers who are unionized — for example, custodians, clerical workers, and technical workers — are mostly showing up for work despite the teachers’ protests going on at the state capitol. “We have six collective bargaining groups,” Syke says. “Some of them, like our custodians, have been very solid in their work pattern this week. They’ve been coming to work. That’s true also with our clerical and technical group. They’ve continued to show up in large numbers.” Since they belong to unions, those workers, like the protesting teachers, would be affected by any changes in Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed legislature regarding public employees.
Beyond that, Syke says, “many teachers, although a minority” are also coming to work.
Of course, the school district’s 24,600 students don’t have classes to attend for a third day in a row while most of the teachers are protesting. The school district has posted a message to parents that, “We understand that managing a third day off will be a significant hardship for families and we do appreciate your tolerance in these unusual times.”
