Legal Action Threatened After Some Portland Teachers Protests

Some of the Portland teachers union strike protests have started to turn personal and are even provoking the threat of legal action.  A singer’s chorus, of, “Make Guadalupe do better,” filled the air outside the Northwest Portland condo of Portland Public Schools Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero and his family.  Teachers packed the streets and sidewalks, listing their grievances and signing a petition, saying they have no confidence in his leadership. “We shouldn’t have to fight for reasonable class sizes,”  said a teacher to loud cheers.

And in another demonstration, teachers and their allies got inside the closed Oregon Convention Center and tried to find board member Andrew Scott. Through a lawyer, school district leaders told the union, quote, “This behavior must stop immediately.” A letter to the Portland Association of Teachers states the district plans to file an unfair labor practices complaint, unless these kinds of protests stop.  Oregon law prohibits protesting at a school board member’s home or workplace as an attempt to influence negotiations.

Meantime, city commissioner Rene Gonzales says,  “It is incumbent upon both the union and the district, to be realistic about their bargaining demands.  I’ve been in contact with a number of elected officials on how we can address this crisis collectively.”