By State Affairs
Arizona Educators planned to hit the streets today to rally against a measure that would prohibit teacher strikes and work stoppages during school hours and ban time off for labor organization business.
House Concurrent Resolution 2040, sponsored by Rep. Justin Olson, would also prevent school districts from using public resources to support union operations and from deducting union dues from paychecks.
The bill now also incorporates provisions from House Bill 2313, which would add the threat of lost pay, benefits and pension if a coordinated organization of a strike or work stoppage is discovered.
Olson introduced the bill to ensure taxpayer dollars and public resources are not used to “subsidize” union organizing. And Rep. Matt Gress, who sponsored HB 2313, created the measure to deter any strikes or work stoppages that could cause disruption to instruction time in public schools.
Linda Somo, a retired educator who worked for about three decades in Arizona public schools and now advocates for the Arizona Education Association, said the legislation would essentially strip educators’ of their voices.
“It would try to destroy their ability to affect what’s going on around them,” Somo said. “And have a voice about what are the best things that can be done for students as well as those who are instructing them.”
