Seattle teachers strike amid salary complaints
Union, district debate over pay raises, length of school day, testing policies
SEATTLE — Thousands of Seattle teachers wearing red shirts and holding signs marched on picket lines Wednesday as they went on strike for the first time in three decades amid increasing complaints that their salaries have not kept up with the city’s booming tech economy.
The walkout, which began on what was supposed to be the first day of school, comes as teachers in Seattle have gone six years without a cost-ofliving increase, and many say they are scrambling to afford housing in a city where living expenses are rapidly increasing.
The strike adds to other education crises in Washington state. Lawmakers are facing increasing pressure to boost funding for K-12 education after the state Supreme Court said they failed to adequately pay for schooling for 1 million children. Justices are fining the state $100,000 a day until it’s fix.
Seattle Public Schools and the teachers union failed to reach an agreement on their contract Tuesday. With the walkout affecting about 53,000 students, the city opened community centers and expanded before- and after-school programs to help parents.
Both sides were far apart on pay raises, teacher evaluations and the length of the school day.
“It’s really the younger generation that is having issues with having a place to live in the city,” said teacher Janine Magidman, who was walking the picket line at Roosevelt High School. “The cost of living is just ridiculous.”
Teacher salaries range from about $44,000 to more than $86,000 for more experienced educators with advanced degrees, according to Seattle Public Schools.
The district has offered a pay increase of nearly 9 percent over three years, and the union countered with a 10.5 percent increase over two years. Phyllis Campano, the union’s vice president, said the district came back with a proposal that the union “couldn’t take seriously.”
Stacy Howard, a spokeswoman for Seattle Public Schools, said the superintendent may take legal action against striking teachers if he decides that’s necessary.
The teachers are fighting for reasonable testing policies, a fair discipline policy and the time to prepare for class each day, said Lily Eskelsen Garcia, president of the National Education Association.
The strike could be a test case for educators across the country, a national union leader said. Seattle isn’t the only district in the state facing a teacher strike. Educators in Pasco in southeast Washington have not returnrf to the classroom despite a court order to end the walkout in a dispute over pay and curriculum in the 17,000-student district.
“These are issues that every educator in the country is grappling with right now,” Garcia said. “If they can get some traction and are taken seriously as professionals, it will give hope to the rest of the 3 million other educators in the country.”