The state of Michigan has been going through some turmoil in recent years with the housing crisis that left many homes abandoned or not fully constructed, the of Detroit filing for bankruptcy, and most recently the city of Flint in need of clean water. Now the teachers of Detroit are protesting with a sick out. Detroit has more than 85 of the 100 public schools were closed as the teachers protested.
The reason these educators staged a sick out were due to overcrowded classrooms, lack of heat, mold in the ceilings & walls, and an infestation of rats & roaches. Some have claimed they haven’t received a raise in 10 years.
“We can’t just let it be a day we blow off steam,” said Nicole Conaway, a math teacher at East English Village. She called for a “full strike” starting Thursday, and numerous people put up their hands in agreement.
In Michigan, it’s illegal for teachers to strike. State law defines a strike by public workers as the “concerted failure to report for duty, the willful absence from one’s position … for the purpose of inducing, influencing, or coercing a change in employment conditions, compensation, or the rights, privileges, or obligations of employment.”
The Detroit school district has filed a lawsuit to try to stop sick-outs by teachers as thousands of students again were forced to stay home.
The request for an injunction was filed Wednesday in the state Court of Claims. It names a labor union, activists and roughly two dozen teachers.
Only a handful of Detroit’s 100 schools were open as a result of widespread teacher absences. The absences started a few weeks ago, but the number of schools affected has fluctuated.
Teachers are unhappy that the debt-ridden district has allowed conditions inside their classrooms to deteriorate.
Gov. Rick Snyder says the schools are in a “crisis.” The district is run by a Snyder-appointed emergency manager.
