School is finally back in session following a three-week delay at Evergreen Public Schools in southwest Washington, after unionized staff approved a deal with district administrators.

Members of SEIU Local 1948 initiated the first strike in the union’s 57-year history following months of failed contract negotiations.

In , also in southwest Washington, teachers ended a week-long strike on Thursday after reaching a tentative agreement with the district. Meanwhile, staff at Vancouver Public Schools voted Thursday to authorize a strike.

The union at Evergreen Public Schools represents 1,400 paraeducators, bus drivers, security officers, maintenance workers and other “classified” non-teacher staff. They demanded that the district adequately compensate paraeducators, who assist teachers with classroom instruction, and address what the union described as critical understaffing.

“This agreement is the product of incredible strength and unity from Evergreen’s classified staff,” said Mindy Troffer-Cooper, president of the Evergreen chapter of Public School Employees of Washington.

The board last week authorized its legal team to take “all lawful steps necessary” to end the strike, including filing a request in Clark County Superior Court for an to force striking employees back to work.

The district and union negotiators reached a tentative agreement on Wednesday, with union members voting to approve the agreement Thursday night.

Class resumed on Friday, Sept. 12. The district has about 22,000 students.

“Our members stood strong in the face of legal threats and misleading tactics because they knew what was at stake: stability for students, livable wages for staff, and respect for the work that keeps schools running,” Troffer-Cooper said.

She attributed the success of the strike to solidarity across the labor community, thanking teachers, parents, students, community allies and other labor partners for supporting Evergreen’s classified staff.

La Center educators to return to class, as Vancouver workers authorize a strike

Members of the La Center began striking Sept. 3. They sought higher wages to retain and attract quality staff and compete with neighboring districts.

Union members planned to vote on the agreement there on Friday. If approved, school will reopen on Monday, Sept. 15. Classes started in La Center on Aug. 27 and then paused due to the strike.

“We are looking forward to welcoming students back to their classrooms,” said Superintendent Peter Rosenkranz.

A start date for the Vancouver Public Schools strike had not been announced as of Friday afternoon.

Members of the failed to reach an agreement after months of negotiations and have been without a contract since Aug. 31.

The union represents over 800 paraeducators, clerks, secretaries, tech support specialists, maintenance workers and other staff.

Union members for additional training, increased staffing, shortened time between salary increases, and pay hikes for inclement weather and work-related injuries.

“We deeply respect our VAESP labor partners and appreciate schools cannot run without these staff,” Vancouver Public Schools says on its , adding that bargaining is “especially difficult right now” due to funding not matching the actual costs of operations.

“We are all left trying to find a way to make sure our students and staff get what they need, and deserve, even with our very limited resources,” Vancouver Public Schools adds in its statement.

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Classes began Sept. 12 at Evergreen Public Schools in Washington state after a strike by support staff delayed the start of school for nearly three weeks. The Public School Employees of Washington SEIU Local 1948, which represents 1,400 paraprofessionals, bus drivers and other staff, reached a deal with the district Sept. 11. The  includes a 13.5% pay hike for paraprofessionals over the three-year contract, but union members won’t receive compensation for the month of September.

A week after school was supposed to start, classrooms in Washington state’s Evergreen Public Schools are still closed due to a staff strike.

The district of 22,000 students in Vancouver was supposed to have its first day of school Aug. 26. But the opening was delayed when Public School Employees of Washington SEIU Local 1948 announced a strike over contract negotiations that have gone on for six months. The district again Sept. 3 as the strike continued. 

The union represents roughly 1,400 paraprofessionals, bus drivers, security guards, maintenance workers and other staff. Members of the teachers union are and .

“The board and I had hoped that delaying school for a week would have allowed the district and the [union] bargaining teams time to reach an agreement without further disruption to families,” Superintendent Christine Moloney wrote in an Aug. 31 . “The [union] could opt to work under the previous agreement, which the terms of the contract allow for a full year. However, union leaders have opted to continue their strike.”

“We are not stretching this out — you are,” union President Mindy Troffer-Cooper said at an Aug. 26 school board . “This job is not sustainable for many, so they work multiple jobs. We need help to be able to continue.” 

The Evergreen chapter isn’t the only union whose negotiations went down to the wire before classes began this year. In June, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers voted if both parties didn’t agree on a contract before the first day of school Aug. 25. An agreement was reached hours before students returned to the classroom. 

The Mead Education Association, which represents more than 600 teachers in Mead, Washington, voted to if an agreement wasn’t reached by midnight Aug. 31 — two days before the first day of school. The union and district that day.

“We know the uncertainty of the last couple of days has been stressful for many, and we’re thankful to have avoided a delayed start to the school year,” Superintendent Travis Hanson wrote in an Aug. 31 parent .

On Tuesday, 1,800 teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors and other school staff in Romeoville, Illinois, submitted their 10-day strike notice. Union President Jared Ploger said in a that school day schedules and compensation are the top issues being negotiated. The earliest date for a strike is Sept. 15.

The Evergreen union has low wages, lack of retention policies and unpaid work hours as core issues during contract negotiations that began in March.

While the salary increases of between 2.5% to 4.5% for this school year, Troffer-Cooper said at the school board meeting that they won’t add up to a living wage. 

If the district’s current contract proposal were accepted, a paraprofessional with five years of experience would earn a salary of $32,707, according to its . A bus driver with five years’ experience would receive $39,661.

More than a third of educational support employees hold more than one job, according to a 2024 National Education Association . About 90% rate low pay as a moderate or serious concern.

Members of the Evergreen Education Association, which represents 1,700 teachers in the district, while classes were delayed last week. The union conducted a week-long strike in 2023, according to the .

“Evergreen Education Association supports PSE Classified in their negotiations for a fair contract,” the teachers union said in a Facebook .

George Dockins, executive director of the Public School Employees of Washington, also expressed support for the union on . He said in a Facebook video that members are “shoulder to shoulder demanding respect and fair pay” and are “raising the bar for every education support professional in Washington.”

“Evergreen, we see you, we stand with you, and together, as one union family, we will win,” he said.