After nearly one month of strike action, the union of public school teachers in Portland, Oregon has reached a tentative agreement with the school district, bringing an end to the disruption that had forced numerous schools to shutter and deprived students of their classroom education.
Following extensive negotiations, the Portland Public Schools District announced on Facebook that they have reached a tentative deal with the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT).
The strike involved over 4,000 educators and impacted approximately 45,000 students across 81 schools in one of the largest school districts in the Pacific Northwest, and the largest in Oregon.
“Together with Portland families and our community, we were able to secure major victories on the key issues most important to students, educators, and our schools,” the PAT said in a statement.
The proposed agreement includes a 13.75% cost-of-living increase over the next three years, with a 6.25% raise in the first year, followed by 4.5% and 3% increases in the subsequent years, as per the union.
Prior to the strike, the union had asked for a 23% cost-of-living increase over three years, while the district had proposed a 10.9% raise instead.
The terms of the agreement will need to be ratified by the union members and approved by the school board in a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, the school district confirmed on Sunday.
Students are expected to return to school on Monday, with classes starting two hours later than usual, the district added.
(Reporting by Baranjot Kaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
