I often say I feel like teaching is a secret job because if people knew how wonderful it is, everyone would do it. Unfortunately, my crowd of compatriots who share this passion is rapidly shrinking. The list of reasons contributing to teacher burnout is diverse, sobering, and long. My purpose here is to highlight just one stress that is in the direct hands of our leaders: HB285.
In short, it is a union busting bill the likes of which Jack Whitehead would be proud. Is it strange to be referencing an anti-worker figure who gained wealth by directly fighting against the basic rights of workers from the 1800s? It is not quite as strange as the fact that in this modern year of 2024, we still have government officials who are trying to deny public workers the basic rights of fair pay, decent work standards, and reasonable benefits. For that is what a union does. Are there imperfections in the system? Sure. But overall, unions (especially in Utah) are a fairly benign organization that just helps give workers a proactive voice. We aren’t the corrupt Teamsters of the ‘50s or “wasting taxpayer dollars” as this bill is trying to suggest.
In fact, when it comes to teachers, taxpayers are getting a steal!
I don’t know one teacher (and I know many) who doesn’t put in more hours of work than what he or she is contracted for. We all work hours that aren’t reimbursed because the basics of the job are nearly impossible to fit into a 40-hour work week. The truth is that after putting in extra hours — poring over the lives, needs and data of the children of this state — there is a bill that says we can’t have a union meeting on school property after our contracted hours, which feels pretty harsh.
I honestly wish there were even one facet of this bill where I could give a concession to say, “that sounds like a reasonable idea.” But with every detail, my continued question is simply: Why?
Why would our government say that unions need to recertify every three years (at the cost of about 40 grand the union must pay for) and will lose the rights to even attempt to certify again as a union for a year if it fails? What is the point? It seems clear that it is just to make it difficult to operate unions, which in turn makes it difficult for teachers to work without an extra stress hanging over our heads.
There are so many things we can’t control as teachers that break our hearts on a regular basis. We buy granola bars to have in class for the kids that don’t get breakfast because they get themselves ready for school alone in the morning, but we can’t fix that neglect. We work to create loving classroom cultures and positive reinforcements to instill a love for learning and shared respect, but we still have to evacuate our classrooms because there are some behaviors that are out of our control.
And still, we do it, we love it, and we are working through it.
Please, do what is in your control and take this one off our shoulders. Let us have a livable wage as we spend our hearts on these beautiful children we love.
Hannah Philpot, Salt Lake City
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