Newspapers / InterCom (Durham, N.C.) / Oct. 6, 1978, edition 1 / Page 2
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Library display features women A sampling of U.S. government publications about issues involving American women currently is on display in the exhibit cases adjoining the Documents Department in Perkins Library. Women in business, women in the arts, women in competitive sports and women "And and what what kind kind of of side side effects effects are are you you having having, Henry Henry?" in construction are among the topics featured. Other topics include rape, sex bias in the U.S. Code, congressional hearings on abortion and careers for women in the 70s, The Department of Labor's “A Working Woman's Guide to Her job Rights" gives practical advice to the large segment of the American population included in "Statistical Portrait of Women in the U.S." And for the history-minded, there is "Women in Congress 1917-1976." A selected bibliography lists some of the materials available from the U.S. Government Printing Office. "Women: The Issues and the Facts"will remain on display throughout this month. On tour today Twenty students from Northwood High School in Pittsboro are touring the medical center today. The students are accompanied by their health occupations instructor, Gail McLauchlin, RN. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES—Robert Newton (center) shares a laugh with Cecil F. Wallace Jr. fleft) and H. D. Maynard, assistant business manager and business manager, respectively, of the Surgical Private Diagnostic Clinic, at a reception given last week in Newton's honor. Newton is leaving his position as assistant controller of the hospital to become director of fiscal services at Charlotte Memorial Hospital. (Photo iy John Bedon) INTERFORUM LZTLl Increasing militancy shows teachers are like By Dr. Joseph DiBona Associate Professor of Education Increased teacher militancy is the single most significant change that has come to American education in the last 50 years. Both the American Federation of Teachers (AFL-CIO) and the National Education Association now endorse collective bargaining, and will not hesitate to strike if the need arises. Together, these organizations now have more than half the teachers in the country covered by collective bargaining contracts. The old issue of "professionalism" seems to have disappeared. It is rare today to hear superintendents say that teachers should not be concerned with the "bread and butter" issues of wages, work conditions or length of service. Low status was accepted Only a decade ago most educators and citizens accepted the low status of the teacher as a perpetual fact of life. They could be hired and fired at the whim of the administrator, drafted for extra assignments such as chaperoning a dance or weekend field trips or baking cookies for the P.T.A. social. Worse still they were often saddled with onerous and irrelevant tasks such as collecting lunch money, cleaning blackboards or supervising buses. All this took time from their work of instruction, preparing and correcting examinations, and generally organizing the curriculum for the greatest pupil benefit. Now all this has changed. Even the school boards association and administrators' organizations are learning to live with new demands by teachers. Some school officials see a positive side in a union contract which specifies the number of days leave a pregnant teacher may have or the rate of compensation for escorting a group to the local basketball game one night a week. Teachers, too, welcome the benefits of belonging to strong teacher organizations. Apart from the obvious one of more money, membership in the AFT, for example, provides $500,000 occupational liability insurance, $500,000 malpractice insurance, life and hospital insurance, $5,000 accidential death benefit, legal assistance, a legal defense fund and many other advantages. Teacher cleared of charges In North Carolina advantages of union membership are seen in the case of the Greensboro teacher charged with assault and represented by an AFT lawyer. With this help she was cleared of the charges in superior court. Another case involved a High Point physical education teacher who was told by the superintendent that her signed contract was a "mistake" and the contract was torn up. When faced with possible legal action and a court battle, the superintendent found another position for her. On October 4, 1977 a grievance hearing was held with the hew Hanover County Board of Education because a P.E. teacher was being transferred for a math teaching assignment. The teacher's professional organization obtained an attorney and in settlement the board agreed to offer her the next available position she was qualified for. Alienation a factor While these are not spectacular advantages they are significant for teachers, who too long have been without a voice in their own affairs. As education becomes dominated by larger and more technical and impersonal organizational structures, teachers feel alienated from the central staff and look to their professional organizations for security. Strikes are sometimes the inevitable result of this clash of interest between teachers and those who control their salaries and work conditions. Between 1956 and 1966 there were 35 teacher strikes in the U.S. In 1967-68 there were 100, including the famous New York City strike which closed 900 schools for weeks. Last year the NEA logged 121 strikes nationally while the AFT called 28. Factors that contribute to this increased militancy are salary levels, comparison with other professionals, the need for identity in dealing with the faceless bureaucracy of educational administration and the fact that more men with greater responsibilities are entering the profession. In 1975 this proportion had risen to 35 percent, up from 17 percent in 1925. One Winston-Salem administrator recently complained that by their fifth or sixth year in the classroom most male teachers in Forsyth County have decided to leave the profession for another line of work. Those who persist tend to stay. Last January, however, Charles Murphy, president of the Chapel Hill Federation of Teachers and an outstanding teacher, announced that he was leaving the classroom for a job which would enable him to provide more adequately for his family's needs. Two organizations Now the two giant teacher organizations in America apparently are vying for members and each is trying to outdo the other in claiming advances for their members. A recent issue of the NCFT Teacher compared the contracts negotiated for San Francisco (AFT) and San Diego (NEA) point by point. Another time the salary demands made to the North Carolina legislature by the NC AE and NCFT were listed side by side. In 1977 the NEA had over one and a half million members compared to about half a million for the AFT. In North Carolina, the NEA enrolls 50,000 and Interforum offers readers the opportunity to express opinions and exchange ideas on a variety of topics. Items may be sent to Box 3354 and should he no longer than two typewritten, double-spaced pages. The writer's name, job title and department must be included. The Office of Public Relations reserves the right to select material on the basis of appropriateness and discretion. Opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer. anyone else AFT perhaps less than 10,000, but the latter is growing. More and more one looks like the other. Both see the need to bargain collectively and the basic differences between employee and employer. Increasingly school boards and associations of superintendents agree that there is nothing immoral or unethical in the resulting conflict of interests. Other professionals band together Doctors, lawyers, scientists and others banded together for their mutual welfare. Some call themselves federations, some associations such as the American Bar Association, the American Medical Association or the American Association of University Professors. There are the Newspaper Guild, Actors Equity and many more. Teachers, as one more professional element in society ony recently have come to occupy a significant position alongside other professionals. The militancy they now exhibit is part and parcel of the general atmosphere in the country. Teachers are like anyone else. They are no more honest, moral, upright or intelligent than say ministers, social workers, nurses or the average man in the street. It is inappropriate to expect them to exhibit some idealized behavior that is not also expected of ordinary men and women. If firemen, policemen, nurses and doctors can withhold services to wring financial advantage from governmental agencies, why not teachers? For too long society has unfairly saddled the classroom teacher with expectations that could not realistically be applied to others. Now teacher militancy has increased and traditional public attitudes are yielding to the reality of strong organizations, experienced leadership and the financial ability to put able specialists at the bargaining table. This is unlikely to change. ^ If anything, we can expect teacher organizations to become stronger over the next decade. How they fulfill their responsibilities will depend largely on the skills of eductors to manage one more essential interest group in society. Intercom is published weekly by the Office of Public Relations, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3354, Durham, N.C. 27710. loe Sigler Director lohn Becton Editor Primary contributors: William Erwin, Comprehensive Cancer Center medical writer; Ina Fried, staff writer; Parker Herring, public relations assistant; Edith Roberts, staff writer; David Williamson, medical writer. Circulation: Ann Alston
InterCom (Durham, N.C.)
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