Tacoma teachers join Puget Sound strikers

Update, 9/6: You can add Tacoma to the list of school districts that won't start the new school year on time.

Teachers there are on now strike but union negotiators said they'll be back at the bargaining table Thursday morning.

Teachers in Tukwila, Puyallup, Stanwood and Tumwater went on strike Wednesday morning.

Outside Foster High School in Tukwila at 7 a.m., teachers wore red shirts and carried signs.

People driving by honked in support.

Wednesday was supposed to be the first day of class but it was canceled because of the strike.

"We've been in this fight for many, many years," said middle school math teacher Debbie Aldous. "Some of us have been down in Olympia, and talking to our legislators, and speaking to committees. Then to have to come back to our own districts when the money is there and fight for it? That's frustrating."

Hung Nguyen hadn't heard that the first day of school was canceled -- he arrived to drop off his freshman son.

"I was shocked," he said. "We come over and oh my goodness, looks there's no school today!"

In Seattle schools, the story was different. Classes started on time because teachers there had reached a tentative contract that includes a 10.5 percent pay increase. The union will vote on the deal Saturday.

The Rainier School District averted a strike by reaching an agreement with its teachers.