The Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT) on July 27 ratified a new contract agreement with the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD).
The three-year pact calls for a 3 percent salary increase in the first year and a 4.13 percent increase in the second year. The contract also features a re-opener clause in the third year that allows both parties to negotiate wage terms. The clause states that no wages can be reduced in the third year. The pact is the first multi-year contract without concessions between the DFT and DPSCD in more than a decade.
The agreement also provides a $1,750 one-time bonus to teachers at the top of the salary scale. That bonus will to be paid in September during the upcoming 2017-18 school year.
“I am pleased that our members have approved the agreement,” stated Ivy Bailey, DFT president. “We certainly deserve more but the package offers us the opportunity to continue building our local, move our school district forward and place students first.”
Under state law, the contract now goes to the Financial Review Commission for consideration.