High school teacher Greg Pollard’s routine seems different these days.
Instead of being in the classroom, he spends most of his days in his basement with his heat press machine, making and selling custom-designed clothing.
It all started as a way to ensure his school’s sports teams received their custom jerseys on time. Then it became a side job to supplement her teaching income when finances became tight.
Now, his business Bean & Bud Custom Designs is what keeps him afloat.
“I don’t know what I would do now without him… I wouldn’t have any money during the strike,” said Pollard, who teaches subjects ranging from guitar to social studies in Fort McMurray, Alta.
During the province-wide strike, approximately 51,000 teachers were left without a regular salary. They knew they would not receive strike pay when voted 89.5 per cent were against the province’s latest agreement, but it was a sacrifice they were willing to make. according the president of the teachers union.
More than a week after the strike, many Alberta teachers like Pollard are turning to side jobs as a creative outlet and to make ends meet.
Cochrane Professor Natalie Roy is taking advantage of this time to revive her photography business, Whimsical West Photography. He said it’s been nice to get back to his passion, but it’s been harder than expected to regain his customer base.
“I’m a single mother with three children, so there’s a lot of pressure to keep working. And that puts us in a difficult position because you can’t go look for work anywhere else, because [we] We know we’ll be gone for a while, but we don’t know how long,” said Roy, who teaches English and social studies to seventh graders.
For Airdrie music teacher Sarah Batchelor, knitting and selling scrunchies and mug covers is as important for her mental health as it is for her bank account.
She’s not used to being so far from her routine of seeing a new group of students every 45 minutes.
“I still worry about some of these kids. Do you want to eat breakfast? Are you safe today? … Creative outlet when you’re dealing with emotional stress is really important,” Batchelor said.
Longer strikes, more side concerts
Christian Cook, a human resources professor at Mount Royal University specializing in labor and employee relations, said she is not surprised to hear that professors are turning to side jobs during the strike. It’s not exactly uncommon today, he said, and there are a few reasons for that.
“In the last two years, when there have been labor actions and employees have gone on strike, those strikes are lasting longer than they did maybe 10 or 15 years ago,” Cook said.
There are also More people participating in commissioned work. It’s generally due to the rising cost of living, Cook added.
“Maybe now they are simply doing more of that to try to increase the wage loss due to the industrial action. But it is important for the success of the industrial action that there is solidarity in its operation.”
The Alberta Teachers Association said teachers can do other jobs during the strike if they need to.
“However, tutoring the children you currently teach is prohibited, just as it would be under normal circumstances. This is included in the Teacher Code of Conduct,” association president Jason Schilling said in an emailed statement.
On Tuesday, for the first time since the strike began on Oct. 6, the province and the teachers union are preparing to return to the negotiating table on Tuesday.
