Superintendent and union president speak ahead of strike vote for Greater Albany teachers | News [Video]

ALBANY, Ore. – The Greater Albany Education Association will begin their voting process to authorize a strike on Thursday, October 24. The voting is expected to run through Tuesday, October 29. 

According to a press release by GAEA, this will be the first strike vote in over 40 years after the Greater Albany Public Schools district “failed to agree to essential school safety protections.”

“Our schools are in crisis right now,” GAEA president Dana Lovejoy said on Monday. 

The teachers have been in negotiations with the district over a new contract since February 2024. They’ve been officially working without a new contract since August 2024. According to both the district and union leadership, there are more than 30 parts of a possible new contract they’ve been working to agree on since February.

Some of those involve safety in schools. In a press …