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CHILDREN DON’T DESERVE LONGER STRIKES
I am writing in response to “The Big Number: $8.7 Million” [WW, Feb. 26]. The article states that the Oregon Education Association supports Senate Bill 916, which would pay workers on strike unemployment benefits.
The Oregon Education Association testified in favor of the bill saying that the bill would encourage districts to negotiate fairly. My question: What is going to encourage the teachers unions to negotiate fairly? In particular, the Portland Association of Teachers, led by Angela Bonilla, misstated the amount of money available in Portland Public Schools’ budget for days upon days during the teachers strike, even after Gov. Kotek called in her chief financial officer to verify that PPS’s numbers were correct and PAT’s numbers were NOT.
OEA also stated that SB 916 is not an attempt to normalize strikes. This bill aims to give teachers “their full voice in achieving fair wages” by removing the financial burden of going on strike. Last November, the Portland Teachers strike lasted nearly a MONTH. If SB 916 passes, how long will teacher strikes last? Two months? Three months?
I am speaking up for my children and other children in Oregon. I want teachers to be fairly paid and have fair working conditions. But even more, I also want Oregon’s kids to be IN SCHOOL. SB 916 will create an additional burden on school district’s budgets. It will also lead to longer teacher strikes and more school closures. Our children don’t deserve that.
Vote no on SB 916.
Kara Shane Colley - Southwest Portland
HOLD UNION LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABLE
SB 916 is supported by the organization that guided PAT into a strike based on a false premise. OEA insisted that PPS was hiding $100 million in their budget and a week into the strike, that assertion was disproven by the state CFO. It was the main premise of the strike, and the PAT leadership with the help of OEA convinced teachers and families that the district was lying. Shortly after, PAT negotiating chair Steve Lancaster resigned in the middle of negotiations, though it wasn’t announced until a deal was signed. He has stated publicly that PAT leadership mishandled the negotiations.
Teachers deserve fair wages and working conditions, and unions are an important part of that effort. But unless there is a clause in SB 916 that holds leadership accountable for the false claims that lead their members into a strike, it would be irresponsible to pass this bill. I support teachers and unions, and I don’t want anything to undercut efforts to make our public schools stronger. However, misleading your members and families into a strike and then draining district funds to pay unemployment is unconscionable.
We all kind of let it go because nobody likes to admit we were fooled or seem unsympathetic to our teachers. But this type of uncritical thinking is how we ended up electing President Cheeto. Somehow, we don’t want to believe people on the left would fall for propaganda. Yet here we are.
Julie W. - Southeast Portland
COUNTY’S WHERE THE ACTION IS
Thank you for your brilliant article on the lack of lobbying rules in Multnomah County [“Nothing to See Here,” WW, Feb. 26]. Heroic journalistic work.
Voters have sent hard signals to the Portland City Council, but the county has been spared. County elections are not as competitive, and election correctives don’t seem to come, even though the stories of mismanagement keep coming.
This is because the separation of powers between county, city and Metro is extremely confusing to the average voter. To most people, “county” sounds like “rural,” “sheriff,” “county clerk,” or maybe utilities. “City Council” and “mayor” sounds like a place where action is.
Of course, this is wrong. As you point out, Multnomah County doles out billions of dollars—$1.2 billion last year. The county is a government in its own right, one less encumbered by procedure than the city or the state—and subject to less scrutiny, as you show. It should be collapsed into the city structure.
Nico Salter
Letters to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: P.O. Box 10770, Portland, OR 97296Email: amesh@wweek.com