Teachers' settlements

Monthly Labor Review, Dec, 1985 by George Ruben

At the end of September, the number of teachers strikes had dropped to 12, involving about 60,000 students in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. One of the settlements was in Seattle, where 3,700 teachers and related employees negotiated a 1-year contract and ended their 25-day walkout.

Terms included allocation of money to help reduce the size of classes; to add 3 working days (at more than $204 a day) to the teachers' 182-day schedule; and to increase the nonteaching staff.

Basic salaries for the teachers were not at issue because State law sets pay levels throughout the State. The Seattle teachers are represented by the National Education Association.

In Pittsburgh, the school board and the local unit of the American Federation of Teachers acted to improve their bargaining relationships and facilitate educational reforms by settling a year in advance of the scheduled August 31, 1986, expiration date of their contract. The 2-year extension, running to August 31, 1988, gives the parties a 3-year period during which they can concentrate on educational issues.

In the final year of the agreement, salaries will range from $20,000 a year for starting teachers to $40,000 for those with 9 years' experience, up from the current $15,400 to $34,410 range. The accord, covering 3,500 teachers, also provides for expanding their duties and responsibilities.