WOODBURN, Ore. — Woodburn School District educators gathered Tuesday evening to rally for better pay and better working conditions. They're asking for what they call a fair contract by next week. If they don't get what they're asking for, they said they're ready to strike.
Last week, Woodburn teachers voted to authorize a possible strike amid ongoing negotiations between the Woodburn School District and the Woodburn Education Association, the union that represents the district's staff. The vote doesn't directly trigger a strike but it allows the union bargaining team to call for one. The district and union hit an impasse in bargaining last month.
"We love what we do. We have a very strong commitment, but we also deserve to be able to support our families with dignity," said Kathia Ruiz, an elementary school teacher and WEA bargaining team member.
Since last summer, the teachers' union and district have been in bargaining, but remain stuck on several issues: pay, class size, prep time and special education case loads.
Last month, the district said, among other things, it offered a 12% total cost-of-living raise spread across three years, plus yearly step increases, stipends for longevity and bonuses for bilingual and special-education staff.
"One of the reasons I actually came to Woodburn was due to the small class sizes and the relationship building. Those are all things that drew me to Woodburn," said high school teacher Andrea Fox. "This is the first year that it's even crossed my mind to go elsewhere. I always thought that I would retire in Woodburn."
The Woodburn Education Association claims more than 60 teachers resigned since the start of the current school year, feeling overwhelmed and underpaid. Educators, including Fox, shared these feelings during a special meeting with the school board Tuesday night.
"Everyone deserves a good classroom size, but here in Woodburn we're trying to preserve something special," said Misha Pfliger, a social-studies teacher and bargaining team member to the crowd Tuesday. "We're trying to preserve a community of Spanish speakers, a community of Russian speakers. We want to ensure that they learn in their native language for years and years to come."
WEA members explained Tuesday that teachers are prepared to strike.
"If we are not able to get a fair contract for teachers by the 19th, our first day to go on strike will be the 24th," Pfliger said.
"We don't want to strike, but if needed, we will," Ruiz said.
Late Tuesday night, a spokesperson for Woodburn School District responded to KGW's request for comment, writing:
"Woodburn School District looks forward to the opportunity to reach an agreement with our educators. We remain hopeful that a settlement will be reached that meets the needs of teachers while maintaining the district's financial health in the short and long term.
We are still optimistic that, with good-faith efforts from both sides, we can avert a strike that would further disrupt the education of children grappling with pandemic-related learning loss, allow parents to continue their work schedules as usual without having to secure childcare, and ensure that Woodburn students continue to have access to nutrition and other related services.
Bargaining updates, along with last best offers from the Woodburn School District and Woodburn Education Association can be found on our website linked here."