Philly fight against extra class hour

Strike action involving 21,000 teachers in Philadelphia was avoided at the 11th hour last week. On the eve of the strike action, which would have affected 210,000 public school pupils, negotiators for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the city announced that agreement had been reached on a new contract. Parents welcomed the news of a compromise as many were facing difficulty with arranging childcare. Teachers also claimed they were delighted to be in the classroom rather than on picket lines.

The strike action was originally called in response to work rules imposed by the city's mayor, John Street. The teachers' contract had expired at the end of August and as negotiations became drawn out Street implemented new work rules which had not been subject to union negotiation. The most contentious issue in Street's plan was that teachers should work an extra hour each day. The negotiated settlement calls for teachers to work an extra half-hour and will go to a union ballot.