Seattle Public School Teachers Strike Over Pay
The main point of disagreement in the contractual dispute appears to be wages.
The strike falls on the three-year anniversary of the Chicago teachers strike, which electrified teachers across the country in 2012. Unfortunately, the School Board has failed to address issues raised by educators, such as ensuring opportunity for every student, regardless of zip code; providing the one-on-one attention that students need; and creating more time for students to learn with less focus on harmful standardized tests.
What was supposed to be the first day of school in Seattle has turned into the first day of a strike.
The two sides have been in contract talks for months.
Erica Delavan’s daughter, Naomi, was expecting to start 4th grade on Wednesday.
“We’ll hold out as long as it takes”, Poch said as she pieced together picket signs.
The school board has authorized its superintendent, Larry Nyland, to take legal action against the union. The SEA said major issues remain unresolved.
“I’ve tried as a parent to call the district”, she said. “We can’t do it anymore”.
“That figure, $172 million, is a district figure”.
Stanojević-Peñuela said she supports the union’s fight to protect recess, along with its wage proposals.
All summer the SEA bargaining team brought their care for students to the table in order to address serious problems that persist inside the schoolhouse walls. “It certainly isn’t the number, I’ve heard from my union”, McCormick said. We’re told Lowell Elementary strikers are getting some much needed support from Broadway businesses: bathroom access. What we are asking for is a 6 percent pay increase. There’s still no middle ground on pay increases, instructional time and testing evaluations. “Negotiations ended at the decision of the union”. Board members said any action will not likely be the first resort.
Seattle Education Association members, which represents approximately 5,000 teachers and staff, were picketing on Wednesday at all of the Seattle schools, Washington’s largest school district, which houses 53,000 school-aged children. The union countered with a 10.5 percent increase over two years … but … the district barely budged from its previous proposal. The SEA protested the funding problems with a one-day strike in May this year.
Other state laws explicitly forbid “uniformed” public employees from going on strike, but that hardly applies to teachers.
He said he didn’t intend to get involved in the negotiations, but said that education funding is a “multi-decade crisis” in Washington and said he wasn’t surprised that the teachers voted to strike.
The mayor said he was encouraged that both the school district and the teachers’ union were continuing to talk.
In 2012, the state Supreme Court found the legislature was violating the state constitution by refusing to adequately fund education. Overreliance on native dollars worsens inequity between faculties as a result of districts with greater property values can increase cash extra simply.
School funding in Washington State has been in trouble for several years.
“The negotiations are about meeting the needs of students in school districts”, Wood said.