Wis. union head calls on teachers to go to work

MADISON, Wis. – The head of Wisconsin's powerful teachers' union is calling on educators to return to classrooms Monday and Tuesday rather than continue being absent to protest an anti-union bill at the state Capitol.

The protests against a bill that would take away public workers' right to collectively bargain for their benefits and working conditions forced several school districts to shut down last week after teachers called in sick to join demonstrators in Madison.

Mary Bell is president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council. She said on Sunday that it's time for her members to return to work. For districts that do not recognize Monday as the President's Day holiday, she said teachers should go to work. Others should report as scheduled on Tuesday.

Bell says teachers will continue opposing the proposal.