PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — With 18 days to go before a contract deadline, the Philadelphia teachers union is ramping up the pressure on the School District of Philadelphia to get a deal done.
While contract talks continue, members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers gathered at union headquarters Wednesday to call on the School District to work harder toward an agreement.
“I hear a lot of folks in high positions talk about how important public education is and irreplaceable public school educators are. Yet, I don't see that respect for our profession reflected in our paychecks or benefits,” said Phelishia Comrie, a paraprofessional at Kenderton Elementary School.
PFT President Art Steinberg said his members will be on the job for the first day of school Aug. 25. But he couldn't guarantee that they won't be on the picket line after their contract expires six days later. “While we're still within the jurisdiction and the years of that contract, we'll go to work,” Steinberg said. “We hope to be able to go to work again after the 31st.”
The 14,000-member union overwhelmingly authorized a strike in June. Wages are a major sticking point in the negotiations. Depending on experience, Philly teachers earn between $54,000 and $107,000 a year.
Superintendent Tony Watlington, at an orientation event for new hires at the School of the Future, said he was hopeful a strike could be averted. “We're working together in earnest,” Watlington told reporters. “We're making appropriate progress. And we expect to get this — we're optimistic about a successful conclusion.”
The district is also negotiating new contracts with unions representing its principals and school safety officers.