The Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers members voted overwhelmingly to ratify the three collective bargaining agreements with the Pittsburgh School District. The professional unit contract was accepted by 90% of voting members, the paraprofessional unit contract was accepted by 77% of voting members, and the technical-clerical unit contract was accepted by 90% of voting members.
The new agreements will expire on June 30, 2020.
Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President Nina Esposito-Visgitis issued the following statement:
I am pleased that our members overwhelmingly approved the three proposed agreements. Now we can focus more of our time and energy on projects such as expanding access to high-quality affordable early childhood education, promoting career and technical education, and improving professional development for all our educators.
I want to sincerely thank the parents and community members that had our backs. We have seen in West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Kentucky what can happen when educators and community members work together to fight for the best interests of our students. We felt the community support at the bargaining table, we saw the window signs around town, and we know that the community would have walked the picket line with us if we needed them.
A strong public education system from cradle to career is essential to the growth of our Commonwealth. We look forward to continue working with the community on improving public education for all students and that starts with re-electing public education champion Governor Tom Wolf.
The PFT Executive Board unanimously recommended the three contracts for ratification. Ballots were mailed to PFT members on March 21st, and were returned to the Standard Bank by 12:00 PM on Wednesday, April 11th.
The Pittsburgh Board of Education will vote on whether to approve the contracts at an upcoming meeting.