Portland, Oregon, teachers vote to authorize strike
Source: Reuters
Portland, Oregon, teachers vote to authorize strike
BY TERESA CARSON
PORTLAND, Oregon Thu Feb 6, 2014 12:30am EST
(Reuters) - Teachers in Portland, Oregon's largest school district, voted Wednesday night to authorize a strike, setting the stage for a walkout that could disrupt classes for nearly 48,000 students, union officials said.
Portland's 2,828 teachers have been engaged for months in contentious off-and-on negotiations with the district on a new three-year contract, and the strike authorization vote clears the way for a strike on February 20 if no settlement is reached, the Portland Association of Teachers said late Wednesday.
"No teacher ever wants to go on strike, we want to be in classrooms with our students," union president Gwen Sullivan said in a statement after the vote. It said the strike authorization was approved by an overwhelming majority, but the vote count was not disclosed.
The union was seeking higher wages and smaller class sizes, among other changes, the release said.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/06/us-usa-teachers-portland-idUSBREA1507V20140206