Strike averted after teachers, Pittsburgh Public Schools reach tentative agreement

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers reached a tentative agreement Tuesday night that avoids a strike Friday.

A work stoppage would have affected 25,000 students and their families across the 54 schools in the city.

"Our parents, our students, our city are at ease now. We're back to our mainstream and making sure we get the best student achievement on a regular basis,” Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said.

District administrators and union officials locked themselves into a downtown building Tuesday to hammer out a deal that would stop a strike, which would be the first in four decades in Pittsburgh.

“The good part about it is there will be no work stoppage, so our commitment to our students and our community is we will stay here until we got it done,” Hamlet said. “Neither party wanted our kids to be out or our community impacted, so we put our minds together to come up with some bargains.”

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Specifics of the contracts have not been disclosed, but officials said they worked through three contracts: the professionals, paraprofessional and technical-clerical workers.

“I know our side came in very determined to get it done and work it out through compromise. Both sides had to give a little, but I hope we have an agreement our membership will be proud of,” PFT President Nina Esposito-Visgitis said. “I know teachers will be excited to be with their kids on Friday.”

Students are required to be in class 180 days per school year, but state law requires all classes to end by June 15.

Using every available vacation day on the school calendar, Channel 11 News found teachers could strike for a maximum of 15 school days, but a final decision would be in the hands of the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Union members still need to vote on the contracts, which will happen after the union executive board approves them.

The union expects to have the finals votes on the contract by mid-March.

“The tentative three-year agreements will be presented to the PFT Executive Board. If the executive board members approve these agreements, the PFT will send them to members for ratification by a secret ballot vote,” a statement from the school district said.

The new agreements come after a five-year contract expired in June 2015. An extension was in place until June 2017.

Cox Media Group