SEATTLE — Hundreds of teachers, members of the Seattle Education Association, rallied here Sept. 1, the day before school reopened, to press their fight for a new contract.
Parents, students, unionists and others gathered on the front lawn of Seattle Public Schools headquarters. Unionists from City Light and other electrical workers; Service Employees International Union; Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers at the Safeway bakery; United Food and Commercial Workers; Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation union; and from UNITE HERE participated.
Christian Gutierrez, a member of UNITE HERE Local 8 and a housekeeper on strike at the Hilton-owned Embassy Suites Hotel, spoke. “Teachers are fighting for a better future and we want them to know they are not alone,” he said. “As workers who have been on strike for 75 days, we know you need to be strong and support each other.”
The hotel workers union has been organizing expanded pickets before sporting events to get support, as well as daily pickets between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Teachers union President Ibijoke Idowu said teachers had voted by over 91% to strike. The main issues in the fight are class size and proposed changes to special-needs education, as well as higher wages. The school district has demanded the consolidation of paraeducator positions.
“There’s always a demand for us to do more and more,” Idowu said. “Higher class sizes are adding to our workload.”
A tentative agreement was announced shortly after the rally, which will be voted on Sept. 11.