Dive Brief:

• Earlier this week, Seattle teachers unanimously voted to go on strike; on Wednesday, the first day of classes, they picketed outside of schools.
• The school board has authorized legal action, but Superintendent Larry Nyland says he has no plans to take advantage of that power for the time being.
• Pay increase talks stalled out following the Labor Day weekend, but are expected to resume Thursday. The union is requesting what would amount to a 15.3% increase over two years compared to the district's offer of 14% over three years (with both raises having state-approved cost-of-living adjustments factored in).

Dive Insight:

The teacher strike isn't just about pay — the union originally voted to strike last week over a demand for a guaranteed 30-minute recess, as some elementary schools in the city have less than 15 minutes each day. That demand, however, was resolved over the weekend.

District officials say they simply don’t have the money to pay teachers what they’re asking for in pay increases. Specifically, the union wants 5% this year and 5.5% next year, compared to the district's offer of 2% this year, 3.2% next year, and 4% in 2017. The union request would cost $84.3 million over the next two years, more than three times as much as what the city says it can afford. The strike marks the culmination of years of resentment between the union and the district over contract negotiations.