Pasco Teachers' Union Faces Judge Over Possible Strike Fines

While school was canceled for the second day in Seattle, a teachers’ strike in Pasco, Washington, is stretching into its second week.

For more than 17,000 students in the Pasco School District, summer never really ended. The first day of school was canceled when contract negotiations broke down with the Pasco Association of Educators.

They’ve been on strike ever since -- even after a county judge told them to get back to work, or risk fines to the union of up to $1,400 per day.

In Seattle, teachers are worried about fair pay. But that’s not the only sticking point in either town. Pasco union president Greg Olson said there, it’s also the curriculum-- textbooks and lesson plans that are incomplete or out of date.

The district has agreed to review what’s being taught at all grade levels in Pasco, but the timeline and funding for that aren’t set in stone.

The details will be up for debate until Friday afternoon. That’s when both sides are due back in court to lay out their progress toward a new contract and find out if the teachers’ union will start paying the financial price.

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