qtq80-TaPRHb-e1620785771669-1500x291 (1)

Seattle’s Cost of Monopoly Bargaining and Strikes

Seattle Public Schools administrators are hopeful.   They are hopeful that taking all but $6.6 million of the district’s cash reserves, will be enough to prevent a strike.  This is the cost of Labor Peace.  Not many tend to think of the cost of monopoly bargaining and labor peace when speaking about teacher union officials.  It’s about time.  Dahlia Bazzaz has the story in The Seattle Times.

Just before the school year started, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and the Seattle Education Association negotiated a three-year, $137 million contract, greenlighting the second consecutive year of double-digit raises for educators.

Amid SPS forecasts of financial doom and gloom, the details of how the district will afford the contract long-term are somewhat foggy. While the state and the district’s technology levy will cover a good portion of the cost, SPS will spend $67 million from its general fund and cash reserves to cover the remainder.