Feature

What to Know About the SPS Strike

Soliana Fishatsion and Bailey Hackman
October 7, 2022

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you’ve probably heard about the SPS (Seattle Public School) teacher strike, led by The Seattle Education Association (SEA). The strike began on the first scheduled day of school on Wednesday, September 7^th, and teachers and supporters have been at the picket lines and marching the streets. It was a popular decision with the SEA seeing that 95% of the members voted in favor of the strike, but certain parents and community members aren’t so happy. What are these teachers fighting for, and why are some people upset?

First what was the purpose of the SPS Strike? Well, a spokesperson for SEA said the big reasons and changes that needed to be addressed by SPS is more “student support, reasonable workloads, and respectful pay”[1]. On the SEA unions website[2], it states that 93% of its members and SPS teachers often work more than their assigned hours, and teachers’ pay has not increased to match the skyrocketing living costs in Seattle.

In addition, the SEA doesn’t feel funding for teachers and students has been a top priority for SPS. Teacher shortages are getting worse, and The Seattle Times states SEA wants “manageable staff-to-student ratios, especially for multilingual learners and students who have individualized education plans and receive special education services.”[3] This piece from the Seattle Times largely matches a statement from a 5^th Grade teacher at John Hay Elementary School. She said, “The reason why I was striking was to ensure special education students and English Language Learners received all the support they need in addition to what they are given by the General Ed teacher”.

Not everyone is happy about the Union’s decision to strike. Parents have become angry at the delayed school days, the SEA union, and teachers’ demands for higher pay that would eventually come out of their pockets. In an article by Liz Wolfe called “Seattle Public School Teachers on Strike, Since 6-Figure Pay Isn’t Good Enough”, She describes the strike as “useless” and said “after a whole year of COVID-related learning loss, kids are now losing out on even more instructional time thanks to Seattle’s teachers union”[4]. Wolfe even states that the call for underpaying teachers from SEA is unclear and unreliable seeing that The Center Square reported that SPS salaries for teachers and workers at SPS ranges from $60,000 to $123,500 annually.

On September 14^th, 2022, a tentative agreement was reached with a three-year contract including special education that would be improved and maintained in certain areas and mental health resources for students would be available.

President of the SEA teacher union, Jennifer Matter, seemed very happy and satisfied with the outcome of the strike, in a statement she states “While we have ratified our contract, our work doesn’t end there. We have so much work to support members as they transition into their new school year working under a new contract. September is always incredibly busy- but more so this year”. In another statement an SEA said, “We came together and showed our strength on the picket lines and in our community, and now the membership has made our voices heard that we’re ready to get back to our students. 78% of the members voted and 57% approved a motion to suspend our strike. We should be incredibly proud of what we accomplished together…”[5].

Overall, the question remains, was the strike necessary or a waste of time for students and parents? Well, it has brought lots of positive changes for special education and mental health resources in schools while costing more for taxpayers. So, there’s no definite answer because the topic of teacher unions and funding is tricky and opinion-based.

Sources:

2022 Cost of Living in Seattle (msn.com)

2022 Bargaining Values | Washington Education Association (seattlewea.org)

Seattle Public School Teachers on Strike (reason.com)

fiscal.wa.gov | K-12 School Emp Salaries

Seattle teachers suspend strike, school starts on Wednesday (q13fox.com)

SPS teachers’ union suspend strike, first day of school Wednesday – CW Seattle (cbsnews.com)

Seattle Teachers Strike – The Stranger

Seattle Education Association authorizes teacher strike | king5.com

Here’s what you need to know about the Seattle teachers strike | The Seattle Times

Seattle Education Association authorizes teacher strike | king5.com

2022 Bargaining Values | Washington Education Association (seattlewea.org)