Alex Brower ended his three-week-long hunger strike after the new MPS budget included some healthcare provisions for substitute teachers.
A three-week-long hunger strike to provide better healthcare for MPS substitute teachers ended after the MPS board passed a preliminary budget last month that gave healthcare provisions to some substitute teachers. Alex Brower, president of The Milwaukee Substitute Teachers Association, spent approximately 21 days and eight hours on strike, often times picketing in front of MPS central office in order to gain the same healthcare benefits that full-time teachers have for substitute teachers.
The new budget, approved by the board May 29, will essentially give 62.5% of substitute teachers health coverage. MPS board vice president Larry Miller introduced the proposal after an earlier budget proposal included no healthcare coverage for substitute teachers who often work full-time hours during the school year.
“I think they took a step in the right direction,” said Brower. “Something is always better than nothing in my opinion.”
The new budget creates two additional pools for teachers. Brower is hopeful that MPS will hire substitute teachers for these positions, which both offer healthcare.
- The first pool is called “supplemental teachers.” There are 50 openings for this position. Brower anticipates that MPS will solely hire substitutes for these positions, which will receive healthcare benefits and will receive assignments from the central office. They must work 180 “student contact days” per school year.
- The second pool is “substitute teachers on special assignment.” Positions will be drawn from the existing substitute teacher pool. There will be 75 openings for this position and these positions will be eligible for healthcare benefits starting January 1, 2019.
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MPS board member Paula Philips said the board included these amendments to the budget with the help of a sub-committee that was created last fall to find out how to better deploy substitute teachers.
“This helps us stabilize our workforce,” said Phillips. “It rewards them (substitutes) for their full-time commitments.”
Brower said he hopes these new positions will give healthcare benefits to 125 once full-time substitute teachers. The Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association will be meeting with MPS to make sure that the system is a “fair system.”
“That’s not everything we wanted,” Brower said. He had heard about this possibility before a board meeting and was originally not in favor of it, as he was in favor of giving every full-time substitute teacher, a number he estimates to be around 200, healthcare benefits. “I ended the hunger strike because I need to be able to live to fight another day.”
Philips said she doesn't know what the future holds for substitute teachers yet. “It’s clear that the board is thinking about long term and what we need to do to retain our best and brightest to be in front of kids,” she said. “But I don’t think we can continue to add more numbers to these groups without making big structural changes to MPS.”
Brower remains hopeful for the future. He says that he will be planning more direct action soon to ensure that more substitutes will receive healthcare benefits for the next budget. “I am really glad that the narrative has completely shifted in Milwaukee as far as substitute teaching,” he said.
Brower enjoys a sandwich. His first meal after 21 days on strike? Yogurt.
