Detroit Teachers Call Strike; 168,000 Students Affected

Teachers in the city’s public school district went on strike Monday, a move that threatened to cancel the start of classes for 168,000 students.

Teacher strikes also began Monday in four other Michigan districts. In all, about 189,000 students and 11,680 teachers were affected.

Teachers in Belvidere, Ill., also struck on Monday over salary differences. The walkout affects 276 teachers and 4,800 students.

About 2,000 Detroit Federation of Teachers members voted overwhelmingly Monday to strike. They rejected the Board of Education’s latest contract offer, which included provisions for a 3% salary bonus in exchange for attending 50 hours of workshops without pay, but no regular pay increase. Teachers want a 6% pay hike.

The city’s 10,500 teachers had been scheduled to start work Monday, with classes scheduled to start today. Supt. Deborah McGriff said the district would go to court today seeking a back-to-work order. Union pay demands were “totally ridiculous and out of sync with our financial situation,” she said.

State-mediated negotiations broke off at 3 a.m. Monday, and no new talks were scheduled. Both sides say they are far apart on wage issues.

McGriff criticized teachers for striking, rather than working while talks continue. “It seems terrible that because adults can’t agree that the children are made the scapegoats,” she said.

Union President John Elliott said teachers would have considered working during talks had the two sides been closer. “Right now, we’re 180 degrees apart on some issues,” he said.

Detroit teachers with a bachelor’s degree begin at $27,000 a year and get $41,000 after 10 years. The district, the nation’s seventh-largest, says it has no money for any regular pay increase.