Dear Colleagues,
Many of us volunteer for a variety of activities and causes; helping with a food bank, your kid's little league, at your church, etc. However, volunteering for your employer becomes problematic. Ours is a helping profession, so we sometimes take on a task or feel guilted into helping with some school-related event or activity, then all of a sudden it is an expectation for you or whoever takes your place.
In no way am I saying we should not all be "team" players and "go the extra mile" in the service to our students. What I am trying to get across is that as soon as we start volunteering our time to our employer without compensation we run into a huge problem getting any new activity or work on a committee properly paid. In fact, a few years ago, the problem was so pervasive that we had to insert language in our contract to prohibit principals from asking teachers to volunteer (Article 6, Section I).
This issue has reared its ugly head recently as our Insurance Committee has a desire to have a Wellness Sub-Committee. We are all for wellness; wellness is good stuff; everyone should be well; who wouldn't want a wellness committee? Lots of people want to be on the wellness committee because it is a passion. BUT, if the wellness committee meets after the normal work day then the people on the committee need to be paid - period, end of story. You could say that it is something different than watching kids or doing PD, but the fact remains that these folks will be doing District business after they are not required to be working. Someone could argue that the wellness committee is "different" because it is......about wellness. Time is time. If members decide to plan a marathon for a worthy cause or have a weight watchers challenge on their own it is different than planning District strategy around wellness. Certainly the wellness committee is about personal gain (or loss), being in shape, living a healthy lifestyle, etc. But it is also about saving District health insurance dollars, bringing down premiums and claims, reducing the use of sick leave, etc. The work of the wellness committee is both personal and for District health.
If the teachers who volunteered to be on the wellness committee show up for their meeting after hours and don't get paid, then every time someone calls a meeting or activity or whatever after hours there will be a nagging question in administration's mind - "Do I have to pay these folks for their time or can I take their time for free?" This door should not be opened! There should be an automatic response - after hours equals paid time. No one gets rich from doing this kind of work, BUT it cannot be an expectation or it will become our reality that we lose even more time than we already give up now. It is simply a matter of professional respect.
As much as I have been looking forward to a wellness committee for the last 8 years on the insurance committee I cannot support it if it is voluntary and UNcompensated - two words that should never go together for our members.
In Solidarity,
Ari Klein
CHTU President