Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Portland Teachers' Strike Escalates with Bridge Blockade

Negotiations continue as district proposes 13% pay increase over three years, nearing union's initial 20% request.

  • Portland teachers have been on strike since Nov. 1, causing schools serving about 45,000 students in Oregon's largest district to close and students to miss 11 days of class.
  • The teachers union and the district have been in marathon bargaining sessions negotiating pay, class sizes and planning time for teachers.
  • The union initially proposed caps on class sizes, but is now asking for increased pay for teachers whose class sizes surpass certain thresholds.
  • Questions over parent involvement in proposed committees to oversee class sizes have become a major sticking point.
  • In its latest proposal, the district proposed cost-of-living adjustments that would increase teacher salaries by roughly 13% over three years, bringing it closer to the roughly 20% pay increase over three years that the union had initially asked for.
Hero image