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For Immediate
Release
4/23/09
Teacher Strikes the Focus of Education
Committee's Public Hearing
HARRISBURG – Considering that Pennsylvania continues to
hold the distinction as the leader in teacher strikes, the Senate Education
Committee, chaired by Senator Jeffrey E. Piccola (R-15), convened a public
hearing on Wednesday to further profile the issue and hear testimony on the
impact walkouts have on the Commonwealth's students, academic achievement and
performance, and the public education system.
In his opening remarks, Piccola noted that teacher strikes
have been an emotional and divisive issue ever since educators were given the
right to strike by Act 195 of 1970. "Since the enactment of this law, we have
ranked at the very top when it comes to the frequency and number of teacher
strikes occurring in our 500 school districts," he said. "It's a serious
problem that demands a legislative solution. That's why we must further
investigate and determine their effects on our most important constituency of
all – Pennsylvania's students – but not forget their bearing on our local
communities as well."
According to the Allegheny Institute, Pennsylvania is one
of only 13 states to allow public school workers to strike. Nearly 90 public
school strikes occurred in the state between 2000-2001 and 2007-2008 school
years, which averages to at least ten strikes per year. "Data that we've
collected shows Pennsylvania is severely out of touch in regards to permitting
public school employees to strike, and a strike by any unit can certainly
disrupt the education process," said Eric Montarti, Senior Policy Analyst for
the Institute.
Other critics of teacher strikes emphasized the problems
associated with the current law (Act 88 of 1992) and its failure to serve the
needs of the Commonwealth. "The law only serves the needs of the teachers'
union and those members who receive electoral assistance from the union," Simon
Campbell, President of StopTeacherStrikes, Inc., said. "If Pennsylvania's
strike law was designed to ensure a quality education, then Pennsylvania would
have the best educated students in the nation since it has the most strikes in
the nation. But that's not the case. It's time to remind teacher unions that
public school districts exist to educate children; likewise, our teachers (who
believe in strikes) need to be reminded that service to our children is the
reason for their employment."
However, Pat Halpin-Murphy, Government Relations Director
for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) of Pennsylvania, contended that
research into teacher walkouts shows they have no effect on educational
attainment and explained that the right to strike is simply a tool used in their
relations with management. "The right to strike gives our school employees an
opportunity to voice their concerns over professional issues, wages and benefits
in a direct and meaningful way," she added. "Given Act 88's requirement that
schools meet the minimum requirement of a 185 day school year, there is little
reason to think that strikes are costing Pennsylvania's students. Our
opposition to altering the current collective bargaining law arises from the
knowledge that the current law is in fact working."
During the hearing, Michael Crossey, Vice President of the
Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), echoed Halpin-Murphy's
sentiments. "I would caution that a limited number of the ongoing negotiations
which have resulted in strikes and the publicity which naturally surrounds
teacher strikes should not wholly steer deliberations surrounding an important
statute that currently functions effectively for the overwhelming majority of
school districts and locals," he said.
But the Department of Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak
concluded the hearing by mentioning the best solution is to stave off the need
to strike in the first place and addressing the most contentious issue at the
bargaining table – the cost of health care. "Any union official or school board
member will tell you that health benefits are consistently the reason or one of
the top reasons that teacher contracts reach an impasse. By taking health
insurance off the bargaining table, we will make it far less likely for strikes
to occur," he said.
"I'm hopeful that this hearing will stimulate further
discussion among my colleagues in the General Assembly on how we address this
very unfortunate distinction our Commonwealth has of routinely leading the
nation in teacher strikes. Today was a positive step in the process to
begin exploring solutions to a problem that clearly has no winners," added
Piccola.
Contact:
Colleen Greer
(717) 787-6801
Additional Information:
Education
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