Seattle Teachers to Strike on 1st Day of School Wednesday

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Teachers in Seattle will walk picket lines Wednesday after last-minute negotiations over wages and other issues failed to avert a strike in Washington state's largest school district.

Members of the Seattle Education Association, which represents about 5,000 teachers, substitutes and support staff, had previously authorized a walkout. School was set to begin Wednesday for 53,000 in Seattle Public Schools — Washington's largest school district.

Both sides remained far apart on several key issues, including pay raises, teacher evaluations and the length of the school day. The union has asked for an 18 percent raise over three years, in addition to a state-approved 3 percent cost-of-living increase. The district's latest wage proposal offers nearly 9 percent over three years.

Seattle parents were scrambling to come up with options ahead of the decision. The city parks department was expanding before- and after-school care programs into all-day offerings because of the strike, and some community centers were also opening their doors.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/seattle-teachers-strike-1st-day-school-wednesday-33615717

---

SEATTLE — Sep 8, 2015, 9:34 PM ET

[brooklynite]

1. Good way to build public support for your position.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

3. First post in is a Hillary supporter criticizing teachers unions.

Color me surprised.

[brooklynite]

5. ...in the same way I believe you should have the right to burn the flag....

....but HOW you exercise that right should be a matter of thoughtful consideration.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

7. So going on strike is the same as flag burning?

How would you prefer unions to demonstrate?

[AtheistCrusader]

9. At election time, getting school funding into the General Fund rather than yearly levy/reauth.

It's fucking stupid that schools have to beg frantically for scraps every two years.

The school system can't just cut capital outlays and expenditures. If a school is under construction, that funding is locked up. If a building needs a roof, it needs a roof.

The only place the district can funge and maneuver is in teacher salaries, and number of teachers. It's the sad truth. I don't know if it's different outside Washington, but here in WA, it's all fucked up. That should be fixed in the general fund FIRST, or up there with fire/ems/police. Not left in the cold, hat in hand every single election season.

We need to fundamentally re-architect how schools are funded, so everyone can stop holding guns to each other's heads every damn school year start. If not Seattle #1, it's another major regional district every single damn year. It's mutually assured destruction, but only the kids truly suffer.

Parents just use it as daycare. One of the things the teachers are standing up for is guaranteed recess time for elementary students. Seriously. Why do they have to fall on that sword for the parents? The PARENTS should be banging on doors/windows to apply pressure for that.

This system is rigged. Imagine all the good teachers that have just left, left, gone away or taken a different job because this system is fully stacked against them.

[Nevernose]

6. When teachers went on strike in Mexico

The mothers stood side-by-side on the picket line. When the police moved in to disperse by force, the students' parents put their own lives on the line for their children's teachers.

So I guess it depends on the public.

[brooklynite]

11. How many members of the public do you imagine will be standing with the teachers tomorrow?

[Lychee2]

12. I think the parents will want this strike over as soon as possible.

Because otherwise they will all have to provide some kind of child-care when they're at work. They will have to hit on relatives and friends or pay top dollar to a professional service or hand the kids over to the neighborhood bag lady or something. They will want the school district to settle, even if it means their taxes will go up.

[Igel]

14. Depends on one thing, mostly.

Whether you consider the government an enemy or a funding source that you want to avoid paying into but get as much as possible out of

vs

Whether you consider the government an extension of the population with the funding ultimately paid by the taxpayer-parents.

[Omaha Steve]

2. Expect Gov Chris Christie to show up...

And punch somebody in the mouth!

[BlueJazz]

4. I've never minded paying for teachers. I have no children but teachers help everybody.

[Hoppy]

8. 1999, teachers' strike in Jersey City.... that was one year before I signed on.

Two years later, my salary went from 53,000. to 89,000.

[angrychair]

10. Rock on my brothers and sisters!

I support them and hope for the best possible outcome!

[jtuck004]

13. Kids. Take adavantage of this. You can learn what you want for the next little while, and

you have a whole school worth of resources to draw on.

Soon people will come back trying to tell you they know what you should learn because their experience is outdated. 'Course, most of their answers are too, which is why you should go find your own.

It's probably too much to ask them to realize how ironic that is.

Take advantage of it while you can. It may be the last time in your life you aren't faced every day with someone who is sure they know better than you what you should do next, even though the evidence is seriously questionable at this point.


Teachers. Good luck.