Reynolds teachers vote 'Yes' to strike

KOIN:

Unionized teachers in east county's Reynolds School District have voted to strike.On Tuesday afternoon members of the Reynolds Education Association voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike for May 21. Barring a settlement beforehand with the Reynolds School District, its unionized teachers will strike at 6 a.m. Monday, May 21. More than 94 percent of the members of the Reynolds Education Association who attended a meeting May 8 at Reynolds Middle School, 1200 N.E. 201st Ave., Fairview, voted for the strike. The union represents about 580 members, most of whom were at the meeting, officials said.  The district board is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, in Fairview City Hall, 1300 N.E. Village St. However, it will not formally address the strike vote, said District Spokesperson Andrea Watson. Instead, the board will schedule a separate meeting to come up with a strike plan.  The teachers’ contract expired June 30, 2011. Negotiations began in May, 2011, and the two sides met eight times before turning to mediation. Five mediation sessions have taken place prior to a sixth, scheduled for Thursday, May 10.This is the third time teachers in East County have voted to strike this year. Both Parkrose and Gresham-Barlow school districts settled contracts with their teachers following their votes to strike.Find out what issues remain, as covered by the Portland Tribune. -- Rob Cullivan for The Gresham Outlook contributed to this report.Catch up on this story with KOIN's coverage:Talks break down, Gresham teachers could strike Reynolds Education Association declares impasseReynolds teacher strike vote set for Tuesday

Read the full article here. Discuss below.