At Lake-Lehman High School in Pennsylvania, where teachers have been working under an expired contract since Aug. 2006, teacher-coaches took a new tack this summer in their negotiations with the school board. Frustrated by the labor impasse, they stopped doing all the "extras" local athletes had come to expect, such as holding summer sports camps, training sessions, and tournaments.
It wasn't a strike, says Paul Shemansky, Communications and Organizing Director for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the union representing the teachers. Instead, coaches were simply "working to rule"--fulfilling only the duties specifically outlined in their old contracts.
"Over the summer, the coaches did nothing beyond what they were required to do and got paid for," he explains. "For example, they've always volunteered to run summer basketball, football, and field hockey camps, and not received anything for it. So this summer, they didn't do those things.
"The point was to show everyone how much extra work coaches put in," Shemansky continues. "They certainly weren't thrilled about stopping their volunteer activities, but they just wanted to be treated fairly and get a new contract."
When school board members learned of the coaches' decision, some floated the idea of letting them go and hiring replacements. But public reaction was in the coaches' favor. "Parents and student-athletes showed up at the next school board meeting and said they didn't want their coaches fired," Shemansky says.
With the start of fall sports, Lake-Lehman coaches returned to their normal duties as outlined in their old contract, but Shemansky hopes the demonstration sent a powerful message. "We wanted the public to realize just how much these coaches are doing for young people in their community," he says. "Hopefully, it will make people say to the school board, 'Come on, they deserve a fair deal.'"