District wants Wash. teachers ordered back to work

Striking teachers picket outside Wilson High School next to a sign announcing an upcoming back-to-school night, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011, in Tacoma, Wash. School was closed for 28,000 students Tuesday after teachers in Washington state's third-largest school district voted to strike Monday night. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

September 14, 2011

TACOMA, Wash.—Leaders of Washington state's third-largest school district are asking a judge to order hundreds of striking teachers back to work as thousands of students spend a second day out of class.

A Superior Court hearing has been scheduled Wednesday on the Tacoma School District's request for an injunction to order nearly 1,900 teachers back to work. The district contends that public employees cannot legally strike under state law. Tacoma Education Association spokesman Rich Wood says union lawyers will be ready with a response.

Classes have been canceled for Tacoma's 28,000 students since the strike began Tuesday. Strike issues include teacher pay, class size and the way the district's teachers are transferred and reassigned. Tacoma teachers had been working without a contract since school started Sept. 1.

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