Portland Teachers' Strike Escalates with Bridge Blockade

Negotiations continue as district proposes 13% pay increase over three years, nearing union's initial 20% request.

Portland teachers have been on strike since Nov. 1, causing schools serving about 45,000 students in Oregon's largest district to close and students to miss 11 days of class.
The teachers union and the district have been in marathon bargaining sessions negotiating pay, class sizes and planning time for teachers.
The union initially proposed caps on class sizes, but is now asking for increased pay for teachers whose class sizes surpass certain thresholds.
Questions over parent involvement in proposed committees to oversee class sizes have become a major sticking point.
In its latest proposal, the district proposed cost-of-living adjustments that would increase teacher salaries by roughly 13% over three years, bringing it closer to the roughly 20% pay increase over three years that the union had initially asked for.