ML School District, teachers’ labor dispute lawsuit dismissed

EPHRATA — A lawsuit filed last week by the Moses Lake School District seeking a court order to compel its striking teachers to return to the classroom was dismissed Monday afternoon in Grant County Superior Court.

The dismissal came in the wake of a tentative labor agreement reported Friday between the district and the Moses Lake Education Association – the teachers’ union representing them in collective bargaining talks.

Yesterday, Judge Anna Gigliotti signed a dismissal motion submitted by attorneys for both the school district and the MLEA. At their request, Gigliotti dismissed the civil suit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled, and there was no award of attorney fees or costs for either party.

The legal dispute was initially scheduled for a court hearing today (Dec. 9).

Teachers began a work stoppage and took to the picket line last Monday, Dec. 1, after approving a strike vote in late November.

The school district responded with its lawsuit, filed last Wednesday, Dec. 3. In it, the school district alleged that public employees in Washington state are barred from striking, and that teachers are obligated by their individual employment contracts to show up for work. The district was seeking an injunction and declaratory judgment from the court to support that position.

But in a rebuttal filed the following day, MLEA attorneys contended that state lawmakers have “consistenly refused to prohibit strikes by educational employees.” And the Moses Lake teachers have been deprived of “crucial union rights” by working without a collective bargaining agreement in place since their past contract expired on Aug. 31, the MLEA response said.

Contract issues reportedly in dispute have included reduced instructional and preparation time,  salaries, and professional development for teachers.  A “bargaining proposal tracker” can be viewed on the school district website.

The MLEA represents about 500 certificated, non-administrative teachers, part of a larger district workforce of nearly 1,600 full- and parttime employees. They operate in 20 schools and educational programs that serve over 8,700 students from preschool to grade 12.