teacher's union

[schoolnursejennie]

hi all. i am on the teacher's contract and am therefore part of the union. since i started at this school i haven't taken any lunch breaks because i simply have not had the time. basically i am entitled to two 40 minute breaks, one as a "prep" period and the other as a lunch period. the school has 8 periods during the day and so i only get paid for 6 because theoretically i am supposed to be on break for two. i met with the president of the union and she told me that i am entitled to these breaks. i don't really see the need for a prep period but i would like to take a lunch break every now and then. she told me that if i am not taking my breaks i am entitled to submit a form for overtime pay where i would get paid about $30 per break, so this adds up to about $300 extra per week. the truth is i would rather just take the money than take the breaks (thanks to my measly salary, even on the teacher's contract). my gripe is that NOBODY told me about this and i have worked for over a week now at the school and haven't submitted any forms so i feel like they owe me money. now my questions are:

1. is anybody else part of a teacher's union?

2. does anybody take breaks throughout the day? and, if so, how do you reconcile this with the fact that students may need you and you may not be in the office or even in the school during this time?

3. what do you think i should do? take the breaks? or take the money? and should i bring up to the administration that they owe me back pay for the all the days that i've only been getting paid for 6 periods but really have worked through 8?

okay.....thanks! :heartbeat

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

You will be fighting a losing battle if you plead ignorance about lunch and prep times. The board will come back and tell you that you should have read your contract - so while you are free to persue this, just bear in mind that it may not be the type of battle you want to start, especially because you are not tenured. Push the board too hard and they can move to not renew your contract for next year.

That being said - your office should get coverage during the times you have breaks. Lunch is a definite - you should be leaving your office... returning only for serious emergencies (sorry- but that's the life of a school nurse - if a kid comes to your office having a severe asthma attack, you need to attend to it.) As for your prep - that is less of a break and more so time to catch up on work. I take mine towards the end of the day, when less kids are likely to stop in my office. I will see kids, but again only for emergencies- the rest can return at the end of the period. Over time, if you are enforcing your lunch and prep, the kids learn what times you are not available and stop coming at those times.

[schoolnursejennie]

i was not given a contract. when i asked for a new contract they told me it was under negotiations.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

then obtain a copy of the old contract - that is what stands until negotiations are finalized -that process sometimes takes years. Your union liaision should be able to give you a copy or tell you where to find one.

[geocachingRN]

I agree with Flare and to say, pick your battles. I am also on the teachers contract and should only work 6.5 hours/day. However, 90% of the district employees put in much more time than this. Teachers take work home almost every night and weekends, office staff work 7:30 - 5 or 6 each night. No one slacks in my district. Instead, I flex my time and come in later or take an afternoon off because I have other obligations, and a lot of volunteer work, besides I'm 80% time and I'm trying to make the point that I need to be full time.

[Jolie, BSN]

As for, "Should I take the time or should I take the money..."

If you legitimately are unable to take a lunch break or a planning period because of overwhelming volume of work or interruptions due to emergencies, by all means, submit the time sheet for payment.

But this is not intended to be an "either/or" way to increase your pay by choosing to work thru these scheduled break periods.

I would recommend not making a habit of submitting OT requests due to your choice to work thru these periods. That is not the spirit of your contract, and it is likely to result in others questioning your use of time and possibly your honesty. I wouldn't go there.

[schoolnursejennie]

alright thanks guys!!! i really appreciate the input. so, my question is: do you guys take lunch breaks? i've been eating (trying to, at least) in the office at my desk but i find it difficult because there is a near constant flow of students coming in and out. i don't want to try and buck the system by giving in OT sheets when there is no reason to but how should i go about enforcing my break time so i don't feel obligated to stay in the office?

[Jolie, BSN]

My situation was a little different. I covered more than 1 school, spending the am in one building and the pm in another. I ate lunch (uninterrupted) in between.

But I like a previous poster's suggestion that you set and announce hours that you office will be closed (except to true emergencies). You can make it known that during this time, you will see a student only if accompanied by a staff member due to an emergency. By requiring that the other adult remain with the student, I think you will quickly eliminate frivolous visits to your office during your "off" time.

I would recommend that you plan these periods either before or after the lunch hours. Playground time always brings scrapes and bumps, so by eating brunch @ 10:30 or lupper @ 2:00 you stand a better chance of an uninterrupted break.

[schoolnursejennie]

alright thanks so much! i'm going to send an email out to all the faculty letting them know when my break will be. since i work in a special needs school, all students must be accompanied by a staff member when coming into the office anyway. hopefully they will be understanding.

[geocachingRN]

Jennie:

What happens when you are sick, who covers for you? If it's the office staff, then they should cover you while you take your breaks for 30 minutes. What did your predecessor and other nurses in your district or nearby districts do?

I try and take my break when teachers are in the lunch room as it can be very helpful. For example, I had one child who showed up with impetigo and I sent him home. In the lunch room it was mentioned by the teacher, and another teacher said she had a child with a suspicious rash in her class. I asked her to send him to me and sure enough, it looked like impetigo as well. The connection turned out to be an off site after school program.

[schoolnursejennie]

i'm not sure who covers for me when i am sick. the head of the school gave out meds one day when i was going to be late because i told her beforehand and left her my keys. the nurses before me never took a break. i've thought about it and fighting for the breaks really isn't that big of a deal to me, i'm remembering to "choose my battles." i usually have some down time during the day anyway. ok well thanks for all of your good advice!!!

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

I refuse to eat at my desk (ok, maybe once or twice in all the years I've done this). No one wants a sick kid sneezing on their sandwich. I take my 30 minutes lunch in the break room. The office staff knows to tell anyone to return in 30 minutes unless it is copious blood, vomit, or breathing problems or other emergency.

I do not take any other breaks, although they probably are written into my contract. I figure I have enough downtime to check in here at AN, call my hubby, or read a nursing journal so I count that. I also leave on time with very rare exception, and the majority of the teacher stay over for hours beyond their "quitting time", so I believe it balances out. I feel fairly compensated for my time, and the responsibilities of the teachers are different than my own so I try not to compare apples to oranges, even though our pay scales and contracts are the same.