North Thurston teachers set to picket Thursday morning, union says
The North Thurston Education Association, the union that represents teachers at North Thurston Public Schools, says their members are set to picket Thursday morning over lack of a contract and teacher workloads.
Teachers plan to gather at 7:45 a.m. at North Thurston High School, then march to district headquarters on College Street.
Members and district officials have been meeting this summer to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement for the upcoming school year, the union announced Wednesday afternoon.
The current contract expires Aug. 31 and the first day of classes is scheduled for Sept. 7, according to a news release.
Teacher workloads are a top priority, said North Thurston EA President Ray Nelson in a statement.
“Like everyone else, students have had a rough couple of years,” Nelson said. “That means students need more of our time, not less. Quality suffers when we have too many things on our plate all at once, and we don’t have appropriate time to prepare our lessons.”
Members are also seeking a modest pay increase to keep up with rising costs, according to a news release.
District spokesman Aaron Wyatt said negotiations are ongoing.
“We anticipate starting school on time,” he said.
Union members are set to meet again at 4 p.m. Aug. 31. Depending on the outcome of negotiations, the union might consider a tentative agreement or authorize a strike.
“We will lose quality educators if North Thurston Public Schools continues to refuse to address our relentless workload and its impact on our students’ education,” said Katie Agren from Chinook Middle School in a statement.
District information shows Agren teaches social studies.
This story was originally published August 24, 2022 at 4:03 PM.
