Jeremy Brilliant/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - While some workers spent the day demanding their union rights, others went to work without any representation.
Herron High School is an Indianapolis charter school where the teachers are non-union by choice.
Whether instructing choir class or taking a page out of American history, teachers at Herron High School - a public charter school - are essentially "at will." They work with only one-year, single-page contracts.
"If I continue to do a good job, I will continue to be employed. And I have confidence in my abilities so it really doesn't scare me or bother me," said Malcolm Gilchrist, history teacher.
Though they could be members of a teachers union, they chose not to be, instead resolving issues through personal conversations.
"I feel as if we have a very open environment where I have access to the decisions that are being made," said Katie Dorsey, English teacher.
None of the teachers at Herron are members of a union, but then again, there are only 38 teachers. That small number makes communication and collaboration with the administration easier.
"I have a ridiculously open door policy. People come and go and I come and go all the time, and so it's really this conversation that really never ends," said Janet Harmon McNeal, principal.
Expectations of teachers are high and even though pay is less than that of traditional public schools, each job opening attracts dozens of applicants.
"Like if you're missing assignments they let you know that you are, then they help you do them. They're not going to let you get by?" said senior Paul Gay.
The school is run more like a small business where hard work is expected and collective bargaining boils down to just getting along.
