Tacoma strike ends, classes start today

TACOMA – Teachers in Washington state’s third-largest school district approved a new contract Thursday, ending a 10-day strike that had kept Tacoma’s 28,000 students at home for more than a week.

Nearly 99 percent of teachers voted to approve a deal brokered Wednesday night by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Classes are scheduled to resume today, the school district announced on its website.

Teachers were told the three-year contract would keep basic salaries and class sizes the same. On the most contentious issue of teacher transfers, the contract calls for a committee of union and school district representatives to recommend a fair policy.

Teachers went on strike Sept. 12. After a judge ordered them back to work days later, the teachers defied him, with 93 percent voting to continue the walkout.