Seattle teachers union votes to authorize a strike on first day of school

The vote does not guarantee a strike. The Seattle Education Association and the school district could still reach an agreement before the first day of school, Wednesday.

Typically, talks between the union and the school district will continue until a reasonable hour, and families will be notified by a reasonable hour, before everyone goes to bed. We will keep you updated as more news comes in.

On Twitter, the Seattle Education Association wrote:

"We’re fired up and ready to go! SEA members made 6,000 picket signs and trained picket captains to prepare for a possible strike. We don’t want to strike but SPS needs to come to an agreement that meets our student needs NOW."

In an email to families, Seattle Public Schools said school would likely be delayed. They blamed the union for declining to bring in a mediator to help come to an agreement.

"We are committed to working with SEA to agree on a contract that best meets the needs of our students, staff, and schools," the district wrote.