Tumwater teachers hold informational Friday afternoon

Members of the Tumwater Education Association held an informational picket from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday (March 4) at the Tumwater School District headquarters, 621 Linwood Ave. SW, according to union president Tim Voie.

The district’s nearly 400 teachers have been working under an expired contract since the beginning of the school year.

The Tumwater School District is negotiating contracts with two unions, the Tumwater Education Association and the Tumwater Office Professionals Association, according to district spokeswoman Kim Howard.

Compensation is one of the biggest issues with the teacher union’s members, Voie said. Teachers in nearby districts are “making anywhere from $3,500 to $6,500” more a year than Tumwater teachers do, he said.

In addition, out of 28 districts of similar size throughout the state, Tumwater ranks second to the lowest in compensation, he said.

Teachers in North Thurston Public Schools had a new contract approved on Tuesday by their School Board. The contract for Olympia School District’s teachers runs through August.

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Tumwater teachers hold informational Friday afternoon."