The Elephant in the Room: What about Clinicians going to Multiple Schools?
There has been talk about how teachers will have to cope with simultaneously Teach students in class and remotely. This is a very huge ask of them. Let us look at a group which has not been discussed on how they are going to cope with the return of cluster classes and per-kindergarten students January 4th and elementary students in early February. Most clinicians serve more than one school and in the case of OTs (occupational therapists) and PTs (physical therapists) they need to see students in up to 10 schools. Both CPS and CTU has not address this huge burden on clinicians this will cause them.
One group of public school staff that seems to be overlooked by the Chicago Teachers Union in deliberations to go back to in-person work in the Chicago Public Schools, during the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, are the Social Workers, Psychologists, Speech Pathologists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Case Managers, Counselors and Nurses or commonly called clinicians, who mostly service special education and disabled students, in addition to providing acute crises counseling and whole school services during emergencies or for public health needs.
Clinicians are being told they will return to servicing of cluster classes and per-kindergarten students, January 4th, 2021, and then all elementary students in early February 2021.
Many clinicians service more than one school building and in the case of Nurses, Speech Pathologists (SLPs), Occupational Therapists (OTs) and Physical Therapists (PTs), they can be responsible for seeing students in up to 10 different locations, sometimes in one week. Neither, CPS nor CTU have addressed this safety concern of going to multiple locations and seeing students on an infrequent basis without having real time information on the school, staff or student body.
On Friday, December 4th, the CTU clinician delegates sent out an email with a survey:
As your delegates, we really need to hear from you about what you are willing to do, or not do, regarding returning to school as soon as Jan 4. Our techco's and clerks have already been in the buildings. Some of them (as well as other school staff) have contracted Covid. Personally, I don't care where they caught it. What matters to me is the fact they were in the building exposing others to Covid before they knew they had it. Complete this survey by TUESDAY DEC 8. https://forms.gle [Redacted]
Clinician Response to Return to Work
Section 502 of the Labor Management Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. Section 143, provides that employees choosing to withhold their labor will not be deemed to be engaging in an unlawful strike if the reason for the refusal to work is a good faith belief of the existence of “abnormally dangerous conditions.” This statutory exemption has been interpreted as protecting both unionized and non-unionized workers. For a work stoppage to be protected under Section 502, it must be shown that: (1) the employees believed in good faith that their working conditions were abnormally dangerous; (2) their belief was a contributing cause of the work stoppage; (3) the employees’ belief is supported by ascertainable, objective evidence; and (4) the perceived danger posed an immediate threat of harm to employee health or safety. TNS, Inc., 329 NLRB 601 (1999), vacated on other grounds, 296 F.3d 384 (6th Cir. 2002). Workers who participate in a protected safety strike are entitled to reinstatement when they unconditionally offer to return to work. Workers who are disciplined or discharged for discussing or advocating for such a work action may be protected under Section 8(a)(1) and Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.
* Required
Do you support a safety strike if CPS and the mayor continue to force more members back on Jan 4? *
〇 Yes, I'll do whatever it takes to keep my family, my students and their families, and me safe.
〇 I don't support fully withholding my labor, but I am willing to do other actions such as committing to work remotely regardless and "sick outs"
〇 I don't support a safety strike, but I am willing to do other actions such as car caravan protests, speak at the Board of Ed, contact my alderman, etc.
〇 I do not support a safety strike or other actions to stop return to in person learning.
What is your discipline? *
〇 PSY
〇 NUR (CSN, HSN, LPN)
〇 SLP/AUD
〇 SSW
〇 OT/PT
[Susan Hickey is a Retired CPS Social Worker and Former Chair of CTU Clinician's Steering Committee]
