Tukwila teachers vote to end strike after new salary agreement reached



TUKWILA, Wash. -- Teachers in Tukwila have voted to end their strike after reaching a tentative agreement with the district for increased pay.

The vote happened Saturday night, when 80 percent of union members showed up for the vote and 97 percent of them approved it. Both sides came to the agreement Friday.

Tukwila education leaders have not released the exact terms of the agreement, but an education association representative said the salary is competitive with neighboring school districts.

Classes will begin Monday in Tukwila. They were scheduled to start Wednesday, Sept. 5, but teachers voted to strike because an agreement had not been reached.

Teachers still on strike in the Puget Sound region include Tumwater and Tacoma, where educators have said they are far apart in their negotiations.

The Tumwater school district took its teachers union to court over the strike and tried to convince a judge to force teachers back to to work. The judge, however, held off on issuing a temporary injunction Friday and said teachers can continue to strike, for now.