The two sides were already very close yesterday, so this may or may not be a tactic by SPS. In any case, I think the teachers have had excellent public support throughout this process, and a slight change in that tide would unlikely be a factor in future negotiations, if there are any.
The SEA bargaining team, made up of teachers, subs, paraprofessionals, etc., did reach a tentative agreement with SPS. If the SEA Board and Representative Assembly agree with the bargaining team, it's likely back to work Thursday, even before the general membership votes.
There is a chance that the strike will resume, but there's a lot of trust in the bargaining team, so I have hope that that chance is very slim.
Thank you for this reminder, and for taking the mainstream media to task, yet again, for not being completely honest and transparent throughout this process. It's quite hard not to get excited at the thought that our teachers and students might be back to doing what they WANT to be doing very soon, but we will support them no matter what the outcome of the tentative agreement.
I didn't see what the paper said, but I saw the press release from the SEA...
"the strike will continue until the SEA board and representative assembly review the agreement later today and decide whether to recommend approval to the SEA membership or continue striking."
That's pretty cut-and-dried union process. The negotiating team most likely would not forward the deal to the board and members if they didn't think it was the best deal possible. So while the strike is not over, it's sure looks like school might be in session starting Thursday.
We are sending our reps over now to review the contract after having a school wide meeting about our values.
Hopefully the TA will meet the standards of all the efforts the union, parents, and community have made. If not, back to the picket lines.
Thank you for the honest reporting! It seems that other media sources just want to make headlines and cause panic.
Seattle PI isn't the only one jumping the gun. Look at what this apologist for the establishment said in their "morning news": http://www.thestranger.com/blogs/slog/20…
There is a chance that the strike will resume, but there's a lot of trust in the bargaining team, so I have hope that that chance is very slim.
"the strike will continue until the SEA board and representative assembly review the agreement later today and decide whether to recommend approval to the SEA membership or continue striking."
That's pretty cut-and-dried union process. The negotiating team most likely would not forward the deal to the board and members if they didn't think it was the best deal possible. So while the strike is not over, it's sure looks like school might be in session starting Thursday.
Hopefully the TA will meet the standards of all the efforts the union, parents, and community have made. If not, back to the picket lines.
Thank you for the honest reporting! It seems that other media sources just want to make headlines and cause panic.