The Pasco teachers’ union isn’t the only labor group plotting a hostage situation at the start of the new school year. On Monday, Seattle’s teachers union voted to authorize an illegal strike vote on September 3rd if a tentative collective-bargaining agreement with the school district is not reached prior to that date.
The union and the school district have yet to reach an agreement on a new contract though discussions began in May, with the district proposing a 7% pay increase, over three years, and the union demanding three times that much – in addition to the pay raises granted by the legislature this year. The two also disagree on what is most important during the school day, with the district asking for more time in the classroom, and teachers asking for more recess. As outlined in the Seattle Times,
“The groups remain far apart on several issues, according to the union.
“The district has proposed adding 30 minutes of instructional time to the school day ‘to support higher standards and state mandates.’
“The union, however, says the proposal is a way to ‘make teachers work more for free.’
“And while the district proposes a 7 percent pay increase over the next three years, the union’s bargaining team has asked for 21 percent over the same period.
“Any increase would be in addition to a state-authorized 3 percent cost-of-living raise to K-12 employees over the next two years, plus an additional temporary 1.8 percent increase that expires in 2017…
“The union also has said it asked for a minimum 45 minutes of recess for elementary-school students.”
Negotiations between the teachers’ union and the school district are set to resume on Tuesday. Current contracts will expire on August 31, nine days before the start of the school year. So, once again, teachers are burdening working families with the unknown due to outrageous contract demands. As parents await news as to whether or not their children will start school on time, there are a few truths to keep in mind—teacher strikes are, in fact, illegal and they do not benefit students… no matter what the union claims.
Priligy