Marysville Teachers Strike Update

I'm sure you are all just dying for an update on the Marysville Teachers Strike from Heck. The one that has gone on, as of this writing, 46 days. That is, in my opinion, 45 days too long.

There really isn't much to tell. Both sides are following the judge's order and meeting 8 hours a day. We know that the first day didn't result in a deal, but we know nothing at all beyond that.

Eep. hubby-Eric has given me a little ... um ... correction. I've been assuming that because the school district closed school through Monday, that meant they didn't intend to bargain in good faith. Not that I ever believed they intended to bargain in good faith anyway. But hubby-Eric has a much more logical and less sinister reason why they would do that, and I must hang my head in shame. Yeah, I've let the emotion get to me many times in this strike so far, but I really need to see the forest and the trees.

The local media has gotten ever-so-slightly more balanced recently, exposing more of the district's antics and getting teacher opinions instead of just quoting the district PR gal. A local radio personality, Dave Ross, did a wonderful job at a live broadcast from Marysville of exposing the problems with both sides. His ability to ask the tough questions and to stick on topic helped him get to the root of the problems facing the district. While he didn't solve anything, he aired a lot of the biggest complaints, and finally allowed the teacher's side a voice. And, maybe most importantly, he pointed out what the teacher supporters need to work on, as far as getting their message across.

I've also delved even further into the laws of Washington State. While I was familiar with the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), I hadn't explored the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) and the Washington State Constitution. Silly me. To my immense surprise, there is a section in the WAC that explains how teachers should go on strike. It is made clear in the legislation that the law does not endorse a strike, but it also makes it clear that a strike isn't illegal. I'm still trying to figure out how badly I'm misreading the law. If I am reading it right, teacher strikes in Washington are perfectly legal as long as the full 180 days of school are gotten in during the school year (Sep 1 to Aug 31).