Strike begins at Bellingham Technical College, classes canceled

Washington Education Association news release, 9/25/17

Contact: Alex Pieke-Dahl, best.btc@outlook.com, or Rich Wood, 253-376-1007

Strike begins at Bellingham Technical College, classes canceled

Support employees strike over pay, respect

Support staff at Bellingham Technical College are on strike. Faculty members are honoring their picket lines, and college administrators have canceled classes.

College employees are seeking a modest pay increase to keep up with the rising cost of health care and other living expenses.

Negotiations continued all day Sunday without a contract settlement.

Union President Alex Pieke-Dahl said the 56 members of the Bellingham Educational Support Team (BEST) are on strike because college President Kim Perry, Human Resources Director Camille Gatza and the BTC Board of Trustees continue blocking a fair contract settlement.

Pieke-Dahl said the lack of a fair contract shows how little the administration values its staff, and he said BEST members deserve more respect from college leaders.

Despite millions in budget reserves and an increase in state funding, college administrators refuse to offer workers a fair deal – even though administrators themselves have received ample pay raises.

BEST represents office staff, technical workers and other support employees who work with students at BTC. Classes began Sept. 19.

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