What is a work-to-rule slowdown?
A work-to-rule slowdown is a form of protest. Teachers normally put in many hours which are not on their contract and which they are not being paid for. They spend the time grading papers and preparing lessons beyond what they can accomplish during their short prep periods. In a work-to-rule slowdown, the teachers stop putting in these extra hours. They simply show up to school when their work day is supposed to begin and they leave when it ends. They do not work during lunch. All grading and lesson plans must be completed during class and their prep period. The goal of this form of protest are to create dissatisfaction amongst students and parents to spur action from the district to rectify the situation.
Why must the teachers hurt the students?
To be fair, students are the only leverage teachers have. They have no other means of getting what they want from the district beyond simply asking for it. When that fails, they aren’t left with many choices.
What does the Berkeley Federation of Teachers (BFT) want?
The teachers want a contract. They have been working without one for almost two years. The contract would include “a fair cost of living raise, health benefits, and class size limits.” BUSD is expected to receive a 4% budget increase next year and thus far, none of that money is allocated to COLAs. For more information about what the union wants, read the BFT’s “Why Berkeley Teachers Are Outraged”
Why will BUSD not meet union demands?
There is no easy way for me to explain this. You would be best off reading the district’s explanation.
More questions?
Please check the resources list for an answer, or drop us a line and we’d be more than happy to track down an answer for you.