UPDATE (Sept. 5, 8:58 p.m. PT) — Longview Public Schools announced Wednesday it would be the first district in southwest Washington to take legal action over ongoing teacher strikes.
The district filed a motion in Cowlitz County Superior Court that would require striking teachers to return to the classroom.
“It wasn’t an easy decision at all. But when it comes right down to it, there’s an opportunity there that might be able to get our kids back in school a little more quickly,” said Superintendent Dan Zorn.
Zorn said he’s been taking meetings this week with concerned parents who are unhappy with the continued strike.
Dan Zorn is the Longview Public Schools superintendent.
Molly Solomon / OPB
“It’s quite an inconvenience for our families,” he said. “We’re getting a lot of input from parents.”
Longview teachers have been on picket lines since before the district's scheduled school start date of Aug. 29.
On Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of teachers carried signs and marched from the district office along a main street in Longview.
“We’re very disappointed because we’ve all been waiting for the McCleary decision money to come through,” said Bobbi Wilson, a fifth grade teacher at North Lake Elementary.
Longview teachers on the picket line Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018.
Molly Solomon / OPB
Wilson said she was stunned to hear that the district had had gone through with filing a lawsuit against the teachers.
“Unfortunately, it been more about threats and not movement. It’s sad because these things don’t normally happen in Longview,” Wilson added.
Longview is one of a handful of districts in southwest Washington that have been unable to reach new contract agreements. The Longview union on Monday rejected the district’s latest offer of an average 6.9 percent compensation increase, saying teachers “no longer have confidence” in the district’s ability to reach a mutual agreement. The union is pushing for a salary increase of at least 11 percent.
One thing that’s been unique about Longview is the addition of two other unions to the picket line. The Longview Classified Public Education Association and the Service Employees International Union, which represent classified staff and secretaries, have also voted to go in strike, partly as a show of solidarity with the teachers.
Ray Clift is the president of the Longview Education Association. The teachers union has been on strike for about a week over a new salary contract with the district.
Molly Solomon / OPB
On Tuesday, LCPEA and SEIU members received a letter from the superintendent, ordering them to return to the classroom. If they remained on the picket line, the letter said, consequences could include “loss of pay for hours not worked, loss of health benefits, and progressive discipline.”
“It’s very threatening,” said Longview Education Association President Ray Clift about the lawsuit. “There’s a whole lot of ways this impedes the bargaining process. It’s a huge distraction.”
In 2015, the Kelso School District used a similar court injunction against its teachers after a strike went on for eight days. Teachers continued to picket, even after a judge ruled in favor of the district.
“When superintendents and school boards decide to take their teachers to court, it’s really a sign that they’re not interested in settling a fair contract at the bargaining table,” said Rich Wood, spokesperson with the Washington Education Association, who called the court injunction a scare tactic.
A sign outside the Longview Education Association building refers to money sent down by lawmakers after the McCleary decision. More than a billion dollars was specifically earmarked for teacher salaries.
Molly Solomon / OPB
“Looking at the history of teacher strikes in Washington, it’s really misguided and it’s not something that helps reach a settlement,” Wood added. “Instead, it has the potential to increase the conflict.”
Both the Longview school district and the union plan to continue negotiations, even as they prepare for an initial court hearing 9 a.m. Friday at Cowlitz County Superior Court.