Portland, Ore., teachers kick off strike over class size, pay, and resources
PORTLAND, Ore. — Teachers in Portland, Oregon, walked off the job on Wednesday for the first day of a strike that shut down schools for some 45,000 students in Oregon’s largest city.
Concerns over large class sizes, salaries that haven’t kept up with inflation, and a lack of resources prompted the strike, one of the latest signs of a growing organized labor movement in the United States that’s seen thousands of workers in various sectors take to the picket lines this year.
“Our kids deserve more than teachers that are absolutely exhausted and at the end of their ropes,” said Sarah Trapido, a special education teacher at Kellogg Middle School.
The Portland Association of Teachers, which represents more than 4,000 educators, said it was the first-ever teacher’s strike in the school district.
The union has been bargaining with the district for months for a new contract after its previous one expired in June.
Portland Public Schools did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Schools were closed, and there was no classroom or online instruction.
Teachers held signs, chanted, and rallied the crowd with bullhorns outside of Kellogg Middle School on Wednesday morning as cars passing by honked in support. Educators said they feel overwhelmed by their workload and what they described as a lack of support in the classroom.
Trapido said she regularly works through her lunch break and continues once she gets home until 8 or 9 p.m. She often relies on a volunteer to help with her students.