Fife Teachers Ok Contract Ending 37-Day Strike Agreement Will Reduce Extra Pay 30 Percent

School will be back in session today for students in the Fife School District after teachers and district officials voted to ratify a new contract.

Ratification on the new pact Tuesday ended the state’s longest teachers’ strike at 37 days.

Fife teachers approved the new contract 90-21 Tuesday night. It will reduce their pay for work outside the 7-1/2-hour workday by 30 percent this year, and 15 percent next year.

School officials had wanted to reduce teacher’s extra pay by as much as 50 percent to make up for a $500,000 budget deficit.

Last year, average extra pay ranged from $2,350 to $4,751, depending upon length of service, teachers spokesman John Cahill said. The new contract would reduce this year’s amounts by $705 to $1,425 respectively and $345 to $712 by next year.

“We needed to do something to get this off dead center and come out with a settlement that was honorable,” Cahill said.

The district agreed to send the pay cut stipulation to binding arbitration, which means teachers could recover the original amount of their pay if an arbitrator ruled in their favor, Cahill said.

“The district just refused to budge on the issue of extra pay,” Cahill said. “We feel an arbitrator will look at the budget figures and make an objective decision.”

School board members voted to approve the contract Tuesday evening. A recorded message on the answering machine at the district office said school would be back in session today.

A tentative agreement between union leaders and district officials was reached Monday night.

Teachers had voted to defy a court order and refuse to return to school unless they had a contract.