Teachers Strike Continues in Tacoma, Wash.; Some Might Lose Jobs

The Tacoma, Wash., teachers strike entered its second week Monday morning. Lines are being drawn in the sand by the union and a judge trying to put an end to the strike, and it may result in some of these teachers losing their jobs.

According to KING 5 News, Pierce County Superior Court Judge Bryan Chuschcoff stated he is considering giving the Tacoma school district the chance to hire replacement teachers. Those replacements would take the jobs of regular teachers on the picket lines, allowing the school year to finally get started.

Last week, Tacoma teachers voted to continue the strike, defying a judge's order to put an end to the work stoppage. This decision was met with a lot of criticism from parents who simply want their kids back in the classroom. It has created problems with childcare as well as a loss of work for district employees who aren't returning to work until the school year officially begins. Ignoring that judge's order could mean the union decides to do the same thing in the near future when it comes to being told to get back to work.

There are 28,000 students in the Tacoma school district who haven't been allowed to return to classes yet, but many teachers are arguing the strike is also underway to help out those students. There are three key issues the teachers are striking to change; they include teacher pay, class sizes, and the way teachers are transferred or reassigned.

The last contract ended in August, and now the school system wants to add new ways to transfer teachers in between schools. That is an idea teachers have balked at accepting.

Now it seems that rather than facing transfers or reassignments, some teachers might be facing the real prospect of losing their jobs. Some of those educators might even face punishments or fines for deciding to strike, but that will be determined at a Sept. 27 hearing.

Talks between the two sides have not advanced over the weekend, but school still has not been canceled for Tuesday or Wednesday this week. It seems like the district is really hoping for an eleventh-hour solution to this strike, and people feel that a best-case scenario might still be possible through Monday evening meetings. Finding replacement teachers might not be as easy as some assume either, as there could be a lack of licensed replacements available in the area.