Fresno substitute teachers might not cross picket lines, pulling vital support from district
More than 2,000 substitute teachers, who the district said were at the ready to handle classroom duties in the event of a strike, might not be crossing picket lines if Fresno teachers go on strike next week, according to their union.
Fresno Unified School District issued an email statement, saying the SEIU 521 - Fresno Area Substitute Teachers Association (FASTA) union had agreed to support the district if the Fresno Teachers Association (FTA) went on strike on Nov. 1.
“Fresno Unified is deeply disappointed by this weak showing of FASTA’s leadership bending to the larger will of SEIU non-local leadership,” the district stated.
Fresno Unified claims FASTA “completely changed its course and violated its agreement,” telling its members not to cross picket lines. The district is now filing an injunction and unfair practice charge against the substitutes’ union for bad faith bargaining and violating the contract FASTA previously bargained and signed, its statement reads.
The district said the substitute teachers’ union had a vote of “less than 2%” of its membership, and thus FASTA’s message doesn’t represent the thousands of substitutes they represent.
The Fresno Bee reached out to the FASTA’s local Fresno office. Though there wasn’t someone available to comment on Thursday morning, FASTA president Esther Rojas-Jasso issued a statement through an FTA email update.
“This week, our FASTA chapter membership voted unanimously to support FTA and encourage our substitute teacher members not to cross strike picket lines in solidarity,” Rojas-Jasso stated.
“Rather than addressing the severe and very real obstacles hurting students in our classrooms, the District is attempting to pin workers against each other and using intimidation tactics to break a potential strike,” she said. “The Fresno Teachers Association’s (FTA) fight for a fair and just contract is also our fight.”
In a call with The Bee, FTA president Manuel Bonilla said the substitute teachers’ support is “an incredible display of solidarity.”
“Our regular guest and substitute teachers understand the issues we’re trying to address because they face them when they’re in our classrooms,” Bonilla said.
Will student teachers remain in Fresno Unified classrooms?
It’s not immediately clear how the strike will impact hundreds of student teachers from Fresno State and Fresno Pacific Universities.
As of 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Bonilla said he hadn’t received any formal communication from either Fresno State or Fresno Pacific University regarding the role of student teachers if the FTA goes on strike.
Bonilla said the institutions should pull their student teachers out of classrooms if the strike starts next week and encourages future teachers to learn about teacher unions and key issues like the ones the FTA is bargaining for.
According to a statement shared with The Bee by Fresno Pacific University, Darrell Blanks, interim director of teacher education, said that they would suspend all student teaching assignments within Fresno Unified in the event of a strike. They also encouraged student teachers to make an “independent, professional decision” on whether or not to serve as substitute teachers during the strike.
In an email statement to The Bee, Fresno State officials said they’ve developed a “proactive plan” in consultation with FTA and FUSD to ensure continuity of learning activities for over 500 students fulfilling their student teaching requirements in Fresno Unified classrooms.
“Our students’ well-being and the ability to fulfill all requirements to earn their credentials remain our highest priority,” Fresno State spokesperson Lauren Nickerson said.
After FTA’s strike authorization vote in 2017, Fresno State said it would pull all student teachers from FUSD classrooms in the event of a work stoppage.
This story was originally published October 26, 2023 at 10:25 AM.
