From KUT:
As teachers around the country strike for better pay, teachers in Austin – who don’t have the option of striking – are taking a different approach for better working conditions.
Education Austin, the local teachers union, kicked off a campaign this month called Respect Now. President Ken Zarifis says teachers understand the district doesn’t have money in the budget for large raises, so they’re asking for something else.
“Respect is a form of compensation that the district could engage with,” he says. It “wouldn’t cost them a dollar, but would certainly increase people’s satisfaction at work.”