McGuffey Teachers Return To Work After 2-Day Strike

Students in the McGuffey School District in Washington County returned to classes Wednesday following a two-day strike by teachers.

One hundred and sixty-five teachers went on a district-wide strike on Monday to protest the lack of a new contract. A state mediator was unable to resolve the dispute during a five-and-a-half-hour negotiating session on Friday.

"This strike is not something we wanted to do," Andrew MacBeth, a high school English teacher and spokesman for the McGuffey Education Association, said in a statement. "It is something we had to do, because the school board has said no to a fair contract.”

The teachers have been working without a contract for more than a year. The main issues between the two sides are salary increases and health benefits.

The district said it offered a 3.5 percent salary increase, but also asked for teachers to contribute more toward their health insurance. The teachers rejected that offer.

According to the Department of Education, the average annual salary at McGuffey is $53,135, less than the state average of $56,000.

McGuffey teachers earn more than teachers in Canon-McMillan, Washington County’s largest school district, where the average salary is $52,688. The best paid teachers in the county are in Peters Township, where the average salary is nearly $58,000.

The average teacher’s salary in Allegheny County is $52,000.

• E-Mail Newsletter: Get The Latest News Sent To Your E-Mail! • Mobile: Get WPXI Headlines On Your Phone, iPhone, More • RSS: Add Us To Your Page!