'They don't care about us': Portland school employees frustrated by unexpected work days

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Many Portland school employees are left frustrated as they have to cancel plans to work days they weren't scheduled next week because of the teachers' strike.

Some say they're not being properly compensated for it, while others say it's too late to change plans because of travel or medical appointments they scheduled when they were supposed to be off.

"I have a certain amount of days that I work a year and they want to add five of them and then they're saying, we're not going to pay you any extra," said Jeannie Curtis, a principal secretary at the Pioneer Program. "You gave us three weeks. Three weeks to change plans we've had for a year, family coming in, family going out, plane tickets, bus tickets, train tickets."

Curtis has worked in the district for 28 years. The holidays are her time to shine as she spends it with loved ones, but she says the move by the district has put a damper on Christmas spirit and celebrations, especially since she and other employees had to continue to work during the nearly month-long strike.

"The teachers were on strike, but what a lot of the public doesn't understand is that Portland Public Schools has more than one union that they employ," Curtis said. "Everyone else in the district was expected to work. We have secretaries, which is the grouping that I'm in, we have paraeducators, therapeutic intervention coaches, bus drivers, custodians. Everyone else had to go to work."

In a letter sent out to staff about the changes to the work calendar to make up days lost during the strike, PPS said, in part, "We understand that making up 11 student instruction days and changing the work days accordingly will be disruptive for many staff, and that many will have previously scheduled travel or commitments out of town. Please work with your supervisor to address any questions or conflicts."

Curtis says colleagues are now having to request sick or personal days to now be off but some requests were denied.

Members of the SEIU union employed by PPS confronted the school board on Tuesday with a Grinch-themed Christmas card as their own negotiations have stalled. They say while custodians represented by the union were still scheduled to work, other members, like those working in lunch rooms, were afraid of retaliation if they didn't come to work, meanwhile, only getting their regular pay rate.

"Nutrition services, they would normally be off and they're basically kind of afraid that if they already had plans with their family, if they didn't come in, would there be any kind of punishment for them, so that's a concern as well," said Dave Vesci, a school custodian. "With a lot of the teachers being out, there's going to be a lot of subs they have to pay time and a half overtime for them but nothing for nutritional services."

Curtis says the damage is felt across employees as the holidays fast approach, but its effect will last much longer.

"PPS is going to lose a lot of really great employees because they don't care about us. That's the way it feels," Curtis said. "It's hard when it doesn't feel like you're respected as an employee and what you're doing isn't valued by the people that you work under."

The district also released a chart of all the newly added work days and how pay may change. For almost everyone, next week, as well as the other added days in 2024, will only pay at the regular rate, with extra pay only scheduled for Presidents' Day.