Volusia United Educators Are Working The Contract

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Volusia County, FL- The Volusia United Educators union started a "Work to the Contract" Movement on August 31st. VUE President Andrew Spar said that teachers and other union members are only doing what their contract calls for. This means that teachers are only working their school schedule. Spar said that teachers and staff are not doing the extra things like grading papers, meeting with parents or helping students on their own time. Spar said the extra time averages out to three hours per day without pay. Even though teachers have gone on strike in other states around the country, in the state of Florida and some other states, it's against the law. Spar said that going on strike would come with risks, like losing their career, their livelihood and potentially their retirement. The contract negotiations continue but Spar said more than getting a raise, VUE is concerned that the district is focused on the wrong things. He said, "It's much bigger than contract negotiations, it's really about saving Volusia County Schools." Volusia County School Board's bargaining team did make an offer on August 17th. The union did not accept and so the negotiations continue.