PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Teachers’ Union ratified its new three-year contract Thursday night.
What we know:
The contract was ratified with 70 percent of members voting in favor, and it will take effect on Monday.
The new contract is said to be the strongest yet, providing better opportunities for advancement and supporting the reality of working in the classroom.
The agreement eliminates the “3-5-7-9” absences policy and reduces barriers for members reaching the highest pay grade.
It also gives five weeks of paid parental leave for all new parents, three percent across-the-board raises for all members for each year of the contact and a one-time $1,400 bonus for all members.
What they’re saying:
“I am thrilled that we were able to secure these truly historic wins for our members, and now that the Agreement has been officially ratified, come Monday, our members will now be protected by our strongest contract yet,” said PFT President Arthur G. Steinberg. “As we say, the working conditions of our PFT members are also the learning conditions of our students, and for at least the next three years, these conditions provided by this new CBA will provide better opportunities for advancement and support the reality of working in the classroom all while enhancing the learning environment for our students and better positioning PFT and the District for the future.”
The Source: The information in this article is from the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.