Teachers in Portland, Oregon, went on strike on Wednesday, the first day of the strike that has closed schools for 45,000 students in the state’s largest city.
Concerns about high class sizes, wages that haven’t kept up with inflation, and a lack of resources caused the strike.
According to the Portland Association of Teachers, this was the district’s first-ever teachers’ strike.
After its previous contract expired in June, the union and the district engaged in months of negotiations to negotiate a new one.
According to Portland Public Schools, it lacks the funds to comply with the union’s demands.
School district representatives claimed that the record $10.2 billion K–12 budget that Oregon lawmakers adopted in June wasn’t enough.
During the strike, there are no online or classroom classes and schools are shuttered.
According to Guerrero, the district and the union will have a meeting on Friday with a state mediator.
Outside Kellogg Middle School on Wednesday morning, teachers waved placards, yelled, and used bullhorns to rally the throng while nearby motorists honked in support.
Teachers reported feeling overburdened by their workload and a perceived deficiency in support in the classroom.
Trapido claimed that she usually works through her lunch break and stays up until eight or nine o’clock at night once she gets home.
She frequently asks a volunteer to assist her with her students.
Additionally, Katarina Juarez who is a Language Arts instructor revealed that she mostly stay up at night to finish her lesson notes.
She added that because of the toll her profession has taken on her physical health, doctors have recommended that she resign.
Workers at the second-largest school district in the country, went on a three-day strike in March to protest inadequate pay and staffing.
The union that represents educators, counsellors, librarians, and other employees in Oakland, California, went on strike in May for more than a week.
It advocated for “common good” reforms, such as support for homeless students and Black students, in addition to standard requests like increased salary.
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