To prohibit strikes by educational employees.   Official Text and Analysis.

By Merton Cooper; Myrtle Cooper; Barbara Mertens, WA Assn. of School District Administrators; and Dan Steele, WA School Directors Association. They testified that teachers should not be able to pick and choose which laws to follow. Prohibiting strikes provides a tool for the school district to negotiate with the teachers.

By Lucinda Young, WA Education Association. She testified that this legislation has a significant impact on collective bargaining rights. Banning strikes will not resolve issues between teachers and school districts.

To change the original bill's definition of a strike. The substitute bill defines a strike as an employee's refusal, in concerted action with others, to report to duty for the purposes of changing conditions of employment.

But the bill did not pass the Senate by the cutoff date so it is considered a “dead bill” (although technically the bill could become active at any time during the 2003-2004 session).