Written by: Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief
During the first week of school in Sep. 2024, a heat wave of more than 100 degrees swept the town of Albany. Schools encouraged students to dress lightly and drink water instead of closing down or early for student and staff comfort as well as safety. GAEA, the Greater Albany Education Association, posted online, “Unfortunately, many of our classrooms are not equipped with air conditioning, and as of now, district leadership has not communicated a plan to address this concern … We are advocating for the district to take immediate action to ensure our students and staff can continue learning in a safe and comfortable environment.”
Since then, Albany teachers have only gotten closer to striking.
Educators demand safe, healthy classrooms, fair, competitive pay and essential healthcare benefits. Rallies have been persisting since Sep. 23 with a large turnout of supporters. They’ve also requested smaller class sizes, fair caseloads and supportive work conditions.
A vote held Oct. 29 led to 92 percent — 542 of 590 — of union members from Greater Albany Public Schools voting yes to striking Nov. 12 if demands are not met by the GAPS administration before then.
Amanda Miles, teacher at South Albany High School and Greater Albany Education Association bargaining chair as well as secretary, stated, “… I authorized a strike. I didn’t do it for myself or wanting to be paid more. I did it because the students in my school district aren’t getting what they deserve, and I’m willing to stand up and fight for what’s right for them.”
Another mediation date is set for Nov. 7, with the school district stating, “We will continue to collaborate with GAEA and hope to settle the contract as soon as possible.”
One individual took to Facebook to state that the union declared an impasse after eight months of negotiations and brought new complaints to light. “Today I listened to story after story from staff who are dealing with being bit, tables being flipped, teachers covered in bruises and people not feeling safe,” they wrote. “Teachers do not get paid enough to be injured every day … Things are not changing or we are being completely ignored.”
A bargaining update published by GAEA Nov. 2 stated, “We believe that it will cost between $400K and 600K each year to fully fund reasonable learning conditions for our students — a far cry from the $4.2 million management is claiming … After nine long months, it’s time for management to stop playing games and settle this contract NOW.”
On top of that, the bargaining update alleged multiple other miscalculations from the district.
During the mediation session Nov. 4, GAPS “took hours” to tabulate information regarding class sizes and GAEA checked the average class size to find it incorrect. “Despite these setbacks, we remain steadfast in our commitment to a fair contract that addresses these core issues,” said GAEA publicly. “Our members have made it clear that the bargaining team is to stand firm on these priorities until we secure a contract. It’s disappointing to see the amount of time management is spending trying to intimidate and coerce our members, but your resilience in the face of these tactics is inspiring.”
“Over 12 hours of mediation today, and no movement,” wrote one West Albany High School teacher on Facebook. They continued to allege that the information GAPS was publishing regarding class sizes and other data was exaggerated or incorrect. “Teachers DO NOT want to strike, but we will not back down,” they finalized.
District Superintendent Andy Gardner implored all teachers to “deeply consider the rush through these steps, and the ultimate impact of their actions on the community, families and most importantly, their students. Last year, Portland Public Schools learned that there are no winners at the end of such a process.”
Portland Public Schools went on strike for more than three weeks in November of 2023, losing 11 days of school. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek stepped in when the strike escalated to the point of vandalism and safety threats to bargain between both sides, leading to a higher-paying contract. Despite the win, it implied budget cuts and the union claimed they could no longer trust management.
The Albany school district has made attempts to reason with GAEA, adding class size caps and increased financial compensation, but has not met the demands listed by GAEA.
“Our educators do not take this step lightly,” said Dana Lovejoy, president of GAEA, in regard to the potential upcoming strike. “We do it because we are deeply committed to the students we teach and the community we serve.”
Contact the author at howleditorinchief@mail.wou.edu
