Yonkers teachers union agrees to new contract

Yonkers teachers union agrees to new contract

Talk of a teacher strike can finally be put to rest now that the Yonkers teachers union and the Board of Education have agreed to a new contract.
The exact terms of the contract, reached just before 3 a.m. Thursday, give teachers no pay increase for the first two years, followed by a 2 percent cash bonus the second year and 4 and 6 percent raises in the third and fourth years.
Teachers Union President Pat Puleo had been fighting for a 12 percent raise, the amount Yonkers police and firefighters received. Teachers did win improved health benefits and additional payments for unused sick time. Puleo hesitated to call the new contract a good deal, choosing instead to label it ?a solid contract.?
The contract will be good for four years and may end months of teacher protests and difficult negotiations. But first teachers will have to vote on the new contract.Related information: