Substitute teachers accuse PPS of illegal threats
PORTLAND, Ore. -- When your A-team threatens to strike, you realize how much you need your B-team.
Substitute teachers have nothing to do with the contract negotiations between Portland Public Schools and the Portland Association of Teachers.
But the subs have everything to do with the district's promise to keep schools open if teachers walk off the job.
On Tuesday, a day before the teachers vote on a strike, subs accused the school district of breaking state laws by threatening to retaliate against subs who won't cross potential picket lines, according to a grievance the Portland Association of Teachers says it filed with the Oregon Employment Relations Board.
"They're using tactics to scare the subs," said Ray Amling, chairman of the substitute teacher committee of Portland Association of Teachers. "They're threatening subs with taking away their livelihood and health insurance."
The subs are represented by the same union as regular teachers, but have separate contracts.
All two-dozen or so members of the substitute teacher committee voted unanimously on Monday evening to file grievances.
"The accusations are completely false," said Christine Miles, a spokeswoman for Portland Public