PORTLAND, Ore. – It’s official: If teachers in Oregon’s largest school district don’t receive a new contract that’s to their liking by Sunday, they will walk off the job on Feb. 20.

The teachers’ strike would have the dubious distinction of being the first work stoppage in Portland Public Schools’ history. Members of the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) set the red letter day after meeting behind closed doors on Wednesday, reports OregonLive.com.

The unionists are in a snit over a number of issues, including the size of proposed pay raises, class size limits, teacher workloads, the need to hire additional teachers and insurance coverage, Reuters reports.

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There have also been reports that the union wants to preserve contract language that restricts the ability of school principals to assign and transfer staff members based on the schools’ needs.

PAT members are openly hoping that their walkout threat will get school leaders to meet their demands at the negotiating table this weekend.

“I have to say, I’m really sad,” teacher Lise Flores told OregonLive.com. “”But we need to do it. We have to do it. And I’m hoping that they’ll come around. I’m really, really hoping that they come around.”

Portland schools officials say that in the event of a strike, the schools will stay open and be staffed by substitute teachers.

In an unbelievable statement of arrogance, PAT President Gwen Sullivan said she hopes Portland parents will honor the picket lines and not send their children to school, should the strike occur on Feb. 20, OregonLive.com reports.

Here’s a question for Sullivan and her band of unhappy educators, who farcically refer to themselves as professionals: Why must you inflict your pain onto the innocent Portland community? If you are so miserable in your jobs, why not quit?

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That’d certainly be more respectable than walking out on your students, disrupting their learning and causing scheduling nightmares for Portland families. Goodness knows that are tens of thousands of recent college graduates who’d by overjoyed to land a full-time teaching job in Portland.

Even if the Portland strike doesn’t materialize, this entire episode is a stark reminder of why labor unions simply don’t belong in public schools. Education is about the students, not a bunch of whiny, self-involved adults who feel they’re being “disrespected” by their bosses.

We hope Oregon taxpayers will realize this and demand that their lawmakers outlaw the disgusting practice of teacher strikes.