Letter: Pasco teachers aren’t paid for time on the picket line

You have several confusing points in the Sept. 5 Pasco strike article.

When you have “tentative agreement” on any area of a negotiated contract, that means “we are agreeing to various points on a given day but they are only in force when the contract is finalized and signed by both parties.”

The Sept. 1 date as the first day of school is one such “tentative agreement.” Every one of the 180 days must be agreed to by both sides, thus you have a negotiated calendar when the contract is finalized according to the Revised Code of Washington, thus the word “strike” is not appropriate. This procedure is done so you can quickly get minor issues off the table knowing the tough ones will be time consuming.

That teachers are paid for the days on the picket line is a lie. Pay is based on the 180 negotiated days.

Not having a textbook (curriculum) for every student in every class is completely 100 percent ridiculous — this should not even be arguable.

These psychobabble phrases preaching “student welfare” are just emotional appeal — every teacher is concerned with their students’ welfare.

Kennewick

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Letter: Pasco teachers aren’t paid for time on the picket line."