Not with a bang, but a whimper

It appears that we have a tentative agreement which our union is recommending.  I just came home from an information meeting at the Bethany Church in Richmond.  I wanted to hear some wisdom from the pulpit, but our local union leaders are still unsure about a lot of what is in the offer.  There were a lot of passionate people there urging people to vote no and I understand why.  We appear to have paid for any gains we made through the money we lost on the picket line.  A lot of people made the point that we were out to get improvements to the school system and we have not achieved that.  I left the meeting feeling pretty defeated.  As always, there are no easy decisions and of course, lots of teachers have strained their finances to the limit and can't imagine one more week with no income (or two or however many).  Lots of us really want to get back to school.  I want my kids back in school.  But can we say "yes" to something that we think is bad?  Or do we say "yes" and live to fight again?

Some people asked what things would look like if we did vote no.  But no one seemed to have a plan for that eventuality.  I expect we would continue to picket but with much less support from the public (even though many online posts are already vitriolic, I think most people understand what we're doing and support us).  Then the government could apply to the LRB to force us back to school, but we would probably return under similar conditions to the ones we faced in June -- rotating strikes, the lockout before, after and at breaks during school, no extracurricular activities (because of the lockout), and our pay being docked by 10%.  The government could legislate us back to work and impose a contract, possibly much worse than what we face with this offer.  Then, it would probably be much of the same thing.  At a time when I would hope to feel optimistic, I feel demoralized.  We have fought the good fight, but perhaps the struggle continues. 

I don't know how I'll vote tomorrow.  This is an unusual situation for me.  I usually make up my mind and have a strong idea of what is right and what I will do.  This time I just feel sad and disappointed and uncertain.  I hope that I and my colleagues can find the wisdom to do what will be best in the long run.  I hope to see all of you very soon.