Wildcat Job Action by Centinela Valley Teachers
A group of high school teachers in the Centinela Valley Unified High School District in California held a sickout yesterday that was not authorized by their union. Many of the teachers were notified they might be laid off and are protesting what they believe is district fiscal mismanagement. Both district administrators and union officers were dismissive of their complaints.
Jack Foreman, president of the Centinela Valley Secondary Teachers Association, blamed the protest on a small faction of detractors that he says is launching a baseless misinformation campaign against him.
“Anything they can do to smear someone, they smear,” he said.
Seventy-five of the union’s 353 teachers participated in the sickout - a number large enough to matter when it comes to internal union politics, especially since they are organized. Inevitably, they have a blog. Its most entertaining feature is the comments section, the content of which suggests there aren’t many English teachers among the wildcatters.
