Union members went on strike against the district Tuesday
VANCOUVER – On Tuesday (Aug. 26), the PSE Large Group bargaining team was unwilling to make themselves available for a bargaining session with the Evergreen Public Schools bargaining team at the Administrative Service Center. Union leaders did not give the district a reason for missing this session.
The EPS bargaining team is working and remains available and ready to bargain in good faith to reach a settlement that is fair and sustainable under the district’s current budget constraints. The PSE Large Group’s contract expires on Saturday, but its members are allowed to continue to work under their current collective bargaining agreement for one year after it expires while continuing to negotiate.
Today union members went on strike against the district. The EPS Board of Directors delayed the start of the school year from today to Tuesday, September 2, to provide stability and predictability for our students and families and to give the bargaining teams more time to reach a settlement, but the union still opted to start a strike, which is illegal under Washington state law.
Information on the PSE Large Group bargaining is available here.
A spokesperson for PSE provided Clark County Today a statement that the district’s claim was false and misleading:
“The PSE bargaining team offered the district twenty dates to meet this month, and the district was only available for two,” the statement read. “After a full day of bargaining yesterday, our team even offered to stay late to continue talks, but the district declined. We informed them that our lead negotiator was unavailable today due to obligations with other PSE chapters, and we received no follow-up or proposal from the district at the close of bargaining.”
“To suggest that Evergreen PSE is avoiding negotiations is simply not true,” said Mindy Troffer-Cooper, Evergreen PSE Chapter president. “In fact, we have added another bargaining date tomorrow in order to continue working toward a fair agreement. In reality, it is Evergreen Public Schools that has failed to prioritize the process.”
“Our hardworking members — paraeducators, bus drivers, mechanics, custodians, maintenance staff, pro techs, and service workers — have been clear: they want to be in schools serving students, not on strike,” said Angie Waudby, incoming Evergreen PSE vice president. “We remain committed to bargaining in good faith, and we are waiting for the district’s next response and offer.”
“It is long past time for Evergreen Public Schools to come to the table with a fair contract that addresses student safety, staff stability, and pay for all hours worked,” added Troffer-Cooper. “Until then, our members will remain on strike and on the line.”
Evergreen PSE members, joined by teachers and community allies, planned a rally outside the Evergreen School Board meeting Tuesday (Aug. 26) at 4:30 p.m. at the Administrative Service Center, Evergreen Room (13413 NE LeRoy Haagen Memorial Drive, Vancouver) before attending the meeting to call on the district to settle a fair contract.
About Evergreen Public Schools: With about 22,000 students in 38 schools in the city of Vancouver, Evergreen Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in the state of Washington. The district was founded in 1945, when nine schools from eight different districts came together.
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Simple question: Is the Evergreen School Board going to take immediate legal action against the union for the illegal strike? If Yes…when. If not why not? The public has the right to know.
Teachers have marched in illegal strikes in Clark County for years. These tantrums have resulted in higher salaries & more benefits. No wonder other staff seeking more $$$ and benefits go on illegal strikes to get their way.
Meanwhile, parents in trades are unpaid for days they now have to miss work while Strikers are paid for not working.
Parents who have personal time off days must use them, while strikers don’t show up for work, get paid, and hope for more personal days/benefits.
Unexpected child care must suddenly be arranged, while strikers can care for their children, and be paid, without going to work. Is this fair to parents, families, and 22,000 students?
RCW 41.56.041Right to strike not granted. Nothing contained in this chapter shall permit or grant any public employee the right to strike or refuse to perform his or her official duties.
[ 2012 c 117 s 85; 1967 ex.s. c 108 s 12. Formerly RCW 41.56.120.]
According to my recollection, it is illegal to discuss and/or participate in Union business during on the job work hours. So why would employees get paid by their employer while conducting Union business on scheduled school work hours? When it comes to public safety issues, there are specific agencies that cannot strike (for obvious reasons), and instead have a mediation process pathway. The teacher’s union should be included into the mediation process; they harm students by withholding their educations and for those at risk students, it’s disastrous. They ALWAYS manipulate strikes just as schools start and end up making them continue thru summer break. Teachers have turned into money grabbing, unethical controllers who continue to whine about their wages for having to work 9 months out of the year, only working 4.5days weekly, having summers off, and you name it. NO, they should NOT be paid for deciding to strike..unless, like everyone else, they use their sick time, paid days off, comp time, etc until everything runs out, resulting in no pay.
I find it ironic that the evergreen school district periodically floats a property tax override to fund upgrades for the physical school buildings. Immediately after that, the teachers illegally strike because they know there is a large part of money that they can get a part of through an illegal strike. Now it’s the school workers other than teachers staging an illegal walkout.
What I don’t get is why the voters allow any tax ballots to be passed. Until the Evergreen School District steps up to their educating our students to top standards, all tax increases should be voted down and the unions should be held to the letter of the law regarding illegal strikes.
Since the School board cannot take action to enforce the strike laws, it’s up to the voters to enforce discipline by rejecting any and all tax increases.