Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
So, in all seriousness, whats your general sense of this situation?
From reading various articles it doesnt appear that the two sides are really close at all. Is this, in your opinion, going to be a quick one or is this going to be a long and drawn out slug-fest?
My view of it is long slug-fest, but I hope not. I just dont trust this Government. I think they'll stick to their guns because they've been getting away with it so far.  |
For a few years people have been raising concerns and the tide has significantly shifted since Covid. In 2023 the ATA ran their regular pulse survey of members and one of the staff officers summarized the survey results as, “Everything is bad, and it’s getting worse.”
Teachers are desperate, begging for something to change, and collective bargaining is really the only place it can happen. For many teachers, myself included, this round of bargaining is a “last stand”. I have been seriously considering leaving the profession and a #### deal here will accelerate that/exacerbate that feeling.
I can’t share exact results or comments from the survey but the number of teachers actively seeking other work more than tripled between 2019 and 2023. There is a crisis in the workforce. Over 60% of survey respondents said they would leave teaching at the drop of a hat if they were offered something else with the same salary and benefits. That number was under 30% in 2019.
So I don’t see teachers budging here. The government is going to have to force us back and I don’t see DS doing that until the 27th, barring a change of heart because of immense public pressure.