UPDATE: Mt. Vernon Paraeducators strike

Mt. Vernon Paraeducators are on strike and will picket the District Office on August 28

MT. VERNON (UPDATED AUGUST 28, 2024) — Mt. Vernon School District paraeducators, represented by Public School Employees of Washington, SEIU Local 1948 (PSE), have been in mediation with the Mt. Vernon School District since Monday, August 26^th. The groups have been in negotiations with the District in an attempt to reach an agreement on the paraeducators’ salary schedule since April, but as of today, August 27, 2024, the groups have been unable to come to an agreement.

The Mt. Vernon paraeducators have voted to authorize a strike and will begin picketing the District Office (124 E Lawrence St, Mount Vernon, WA 98273) on August 28, 2024, between 9am and 3pm.

Paraeducators, who are often the lowest paid workers among school staff, are vital to the education of Mt. Vernon’s students. Paraeducators work with the community’s most vulnerable students and help ensure they receive the quality education and support they need to succeed. The Mt. Vernon paraeducators are asking for fair, livable, and competitive wages that reflect the importance of the work they do. The district has been unwilling to bargain in good faith or provide them with the respect and recognition they deserve.

The district’s position has been to offer the Mt. Vernon paras substantially less of a wage increase than other groups of school employees in the District. On August 7, 2024, the paras picketed the school board meeting and spoke during the public comment session in objection to the District’s bargaining position. The District responded by cancelling two scheduled bargaining sessions the following week. They then refused to engage in direct bargaining with PSE and declared an impasse, insisting on the involvement of a PERC mediator. PSE responded by filing a ULP (Unfair Labor Practice) alleging bad faith bargaining and derivative interference. This was filed on August 22, 2024. On that same day, the group voted to authorize a strike vote.

(Orignally published August 27, 2024) – Mt. Vernon School District paraeducators held a strike vote on Thursday, August 22, 2024, and the majority of the union membership voted “yes” to strike if an agreement is not reached at mediation with the school district before school begins on Wednesday, August 28th.

Around 250 paraeducators are represented by the Mt. Vernon Paras Chapter of Public School Employees of Washington, SEIU Local 1948 (PSE). The chapter has been in contract negotiations with the district since April 2024 and filed for mediation in August 2024.

“Our paraeducators don’t make enough to support themselves, let alone their families. Most of us would agree that one job should be enough, but many of our paras have to work two or even three jobs to make ends meet,” said Freedom Gassoway, who serves as the Mt. Vernon Paras Chapter President. “We love our jobs, and we love working with the students, but most of us can’t afford to keep working here if we do not receive the wage increase we need to survive.”

The Mount Vernon Education Association, the union who represents the teachers in Mt. Vernon School District, also held a meeting on August 22, 2024 where they unanimously voted to support the paraeducators in not crossing the picket line if they strike.

“The paras in our district work tirelessly for the benefit of our students and programs. They are bus monitors, reading, math, and language tutors, one-on-ones for students with special needs, recess safetymonitors, and much more. They change diapers and assist students with profound medical needs. They make sure our students get home safely. As you can imagine, we cannot do school without them. Not only would our students be missing vital support, but it would be a safety issue of enormous proportions. MVEA wholeheartedly supports PSE. We urge the district to bargain in good faith with PSE so we can get to the good work of supporting students,” said Cheryl Thramer, MVEA President.

The Northwest Washington Central Labor Council also voted to sanction the strike on August 21, 2024.

Paraeducators, who are often the lowest paid workers among school staff, are vital to the education of Mt. Vernon’s students. Paraeducators often work with the community’s most vulnerable students and help ensure they receive the quality education and support they need to succeed. The Mt. Vernon paraeducators are asking for fair, livable, and competitive wages that reflect the importance of the work they do for the students in Mt. Vernon, and that will help to attract new employees and retain existing employees. So far, the district has been unwilling to bargain in good faith or provide them with the respect and recognition they deserve.