🪧 Will teachers go on strike?

Will Seattle’s Teachers Go on Strike?

Seattle teachers are preparing to strike if an agreement between the Seattle Education Association — which represents more than 5,000 educators — and Seattle Public Schools isn't reached by the time the current contract expires on Aug. 31. Stalled negotiations could result in a delayed start to the school year, which is currently slated for Sept. 2. Union members are planning to vote on a tentative contract deal on Wednesday.

• How it started: Contract negotiations began in June. After signing a one-year contract extension last year, union leaders came to the table this time around seeking a multi-year agreement, higher wages, improvements to the district's Special Education program, and reasonable class sizes. The last multi-year contract was signed in 2022, after a 5-day strike that delayed the start of the school year. [KUOW]
• How it's going: "We don't want to go on strike, but if it means improving the working conditions and the learning conditions of our students, then we will," said teacher and union bargaining team member Heather Barker. An SPS representative expressed their commitment to good-faith negotiations, stating that "the district is at the table on a near-daily basis and deeply engaged." [KOMO]
• The state of SPS: Faced with an $87 million budget deficit, SPS Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said earlier this year that future school closures were a possibility (though not in the 2026-2027 school year). [KIRO7]
• Meanwhile, at Embassy Suites: The fight for better pay and healthcare continues for more than 100 hotel workers, as the UNITE HERE, Local 8 strike reaches its second month. [KING5]

🚢 Anduril leaves Seattle shipyard: While the defense technology giant is rapidly expanding its engineering footprint in Greater Seattle, the same can't be said for its maritime operations. After the Navy canceled its unmanned vessel acquisition program, Anduril also pulled out of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. So much for "Autonomous Alley." [GeekWire]

❌ Starbucks lays off 224 workers: The Seattle-based coffee giant is laying off more than 100 employees who refused offers to move to the company's new Nashville office, along with another 100 as part of their global restructuring. More than 2,500 Washington-based workers have been laid off in the last year and a half. [Seattle Times]

🧑‍⚕️ A new study on abortion services: What does abortion care look like in Washington four years after Roe v. Wade was overturned — and what’s the future of telehealth abortion? Today on the podcast, journalist Megan Burbank joins us to talk about a new study from the University of Washington that digs into what patients actually want, and how that could affect future policies in the state. [City Cast Seattle 🎧]