House Proposes Ban On Teacher Strikes

House conservatives have proposed a ban on teacher strikes - and a fallback position that docks teachers a day’s pay for every day on the picket line.

Democrats and union leaders said the legislation would upset the careful labor-management balance and could actually cause more labor unrest in the state’s 296 school districts.

The House Education Committee probably will approve both measures, Chairman Bill Brumsickle, R-Centralia, said Friday. But with a Democratic Senate, including a number of allies of the teachers’ union, and a Democratic governor, chances of either plan making it into law are remote.

One measure, HB1316, would prohibit teacher strikes and would bar school boards from locking out employees.

The other bill, HB2374, which would deduct a day’s pay for every day that teachers hit the bricks. It also requires districts to hire striker replacements and keep as many schools open as possible.