November 27th, 2024

Strike Day 15

Teachers walk the picket line Tuesday morning outside the school district office.

With impending loss of district 
​healthcare coverage, teachers react and rally

​  The Albany teachers strike entered its third week Tuesday, with morning picketing at the school district office that culminated with a health care rally.
  Meanwhile, both the Greater Albany Education Association and Greater Albany Public Schools bargaining teams returned to mediation Tuesday morning after a Monday pause. Talks continued through the day. No update was immediately available.
​  The school district plans to stop covering GAEA members’ health insurance Dec. 1, a subject that Dana Lovejoy, the teachers union president, addressed in a message to members Monday.
  “I wanted to speak with you directly about the impact of the District’s cruel move to cut our healthcare coverage over the Thanksgiving weekend,” Lovejoy said. “Tomorrow, we will rally together at the District office to speak out against this attack on ourselves and our families. Our parent union, the Oregon Education Association, has committed to cover COBRA costs for every member of GAEA.”
  Lovejoy’s message included reactions from a number of teachers. Here are two of them:
  • Justin Roach, Memorial Middle School social studies teacher and former GAPS board member:“This is a mediation tactic of the District, but for us it’s life and death. My wife Jen is both an organ transplant and cancer survivor, and she relies on my medical coverage for access to life saving medication and frequent medical appointments to ensure her kidneys and liver are working properly. When she was having organ transplants years ago, the District Office asked principals to donate leave days so she wouldn’t have to be unpaid. When she had cancer, they found a place she would be able to work during COVID to support kids and keep her job.”
  “Then the new District management came in, and the new School Board, and everything changed. For them to go from that to leaving us without healthcare is an astounding turnaround. I know that this is something that they’re doing purely based on the strike — they’re trying to break us apart. …I feel a sense of increased resolve to stay on the line, because of the gravity of disrespect we’ve experienced from this District.”
   • Jadie Wright, South Shore second grade teacher: “My 5 year old son needs surgery which I now am having to push back because the District chose to cut off our health insurance and put our children and families at risk. 
​  “I’m striking in part for my son, because he is a GAPS student — his kindergarten class has 24 students in it, including one student whose IEP is being severely violated. By taking away our medical coverage, they are trying to silence us and break the strike instead of fixing the problems that caused it.”