Washington Teachers Need a Reminder: Strikes Are Illegal

Washington Teachers Need a Reminder: Strikes Are Illegal

// Originally posted August 29, 2013 //

It was reported Monday that teachers in South Kitsap have authorized a strike if their demands are not met by the start of school on September 1st. Teachers in the Seattle school district have also rejected their contract offer and may authorize a strike the day before school starts. 

However, strikes by school teachers, or any public employees, are illegal under state law:

  • The law which authorizes collective bargaining for teachers specifically provides that, “Nothing contained in this chapter shall permit or grant any public employee the right to strike or refuse to perform his or her official duties” (RCW 41.56.120).
  • In 2006, the State Attorney General’s Office issued an opinion on the legality of public employee strikes, concluding that: “In Washington, state and local public employees do not have a legally protected right to strike.  No such right existed at common law, and none has been granted by statute.”
  • The website for the State Office of Financial Management bluntly notes that state employees “are not permitted or granted the right to strike or refuse to perform their official duties.”

Furthermore, Washington Courts have a long history of declaring teacher strikes illegal and ordering educators to return to work, in some cases fining teachers who refused.

  • 2011: Tacoma teachers strike. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Bryan Chuschcoff ordered teachers to return to work and threatened to fine them if they failed to comply.
  • 2009: Kent teachers strike. King County Superior Court Judge Andrea Darvas issued an injunction to end the strike. The strike continued until Darvas threatened to begin fining teachers and union officials.
  • 2003: Marysville teachers strike. Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Linda Krese orders the strike to end, noting that “Public employee strikes are illegal under the common law of Washington. The [Marysville Education Association] strike violates the prohibition on public-employee strikes and is an illegal strike.”
  • 2002: Issaquah teachers strike. King County Superior Court Judge Joan Dubuque declares the strike illegal and threatens to fine teachers who continue to strike.
  • Prior to 2002, state courts issued 24 injunctions against striking teachers.

Instead of using children’s education as leverage in contract negotiations, teachers across the state should comply with the law and fulfill their obligations to their students and state taxpayers.

Director of Research and Government Affairs
mnelsen@freedomfoundation.com
As the Freedom Foundation’s Director of Research and Government Affairs, Maxford Nelsen leads the team working to advance the Freedom Foundation’s mission through strategic research, public policy advocacy, and labor relations. Max regularly testifies on labor issues before legislative bodies and his research has formed the basis of several briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. Max’s work has been published in local newspapers around the country and in national outlets like the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Hill, National Review, and the American Spectator. His work on labor policy issues has been featured in media outlets like the New York Times, Fox News, and PBS News Hour. He is a frequent guest on local radio stations like 770 KTTH and 570 KVI. From 2019-21, Max was a presidential appointee to the Federal Service Impasses Panel within the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which resolves contract negotiation disputes between federal agencies and labor unions. Prior to joining the Freedom Foundation in 2013, Max worked for WashingtonVotes.org and the Washington Policy Center and interned with the Heritage Foundation. Max holds a labor relations certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated magna cum laude from Whitworth University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. A Washington native, he lives in Olympia with his wife and sons.