Tacoma teachers win battle against school deformers

Socialist Worker -   After 10 days on the picket line in defiance of judge's order, Tacoma teachers fended off a pay cut and attacks on the union's seniority protections to win a contract that bucks the concessionary trend in teachers' union settlements across the U.S.

The teachers, members of the Tacoma Education Association, voted September 22 by a margin of 98.9 percent to ratify the tentative agreement with Tacoma Public Schools and return to work.

The agreement was reached a day earlier after union and TPS negotiators met for hours in the state capital of Olympia, with Gov. Christine Gregoire mediating.

If Gregoire felt pressure to intervene, it's in part because of the widespread community and labor support for the strike. Members of other unions, such as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, United Food and Commercial Workers and Washington Federation of State Employees were present at picket lines in support as well. National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel recorded a message of support for Tacoma teachers.

The TEA came up with creating ways of publicizing the struggle, including a website called WeTeachTacoma.org. Comments on the website from people supporting the strike came in not only from Tacoma and the surrounding area, but as far away as Wisconsin and Indiana.

The TEA also distributed a regular flyer to picketers called On the Line, which informed strikers of new developments and picket location changes, while providing talking points for union members. A group of teachers organized a group that cycled from picket to picket, earning a rousing cheer at each location.

Protests were critical to the struggle as well. After voting by 93 percent on September 14 to defy a judge's back-to-work order, thousands of teachers and students rallied the following day, completely encircling the school district's Central Administration Building.

"We haven't gone on strike in 33 years," said TEA President Andy Coons. "We didn't go into this lightly. We have a very high strike threshold--80 percent of the entire membership, not just those that turn out for the meeting. It's unified us. We realize the power of the worker, and that when something is not right, we can stand up, and we can make it right."