US: Deal reached to end statewide teacher strike

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON (AA) - Senate lawmakers in the state of West Virginia reached a deal Tuesday to end a statewide nine-day strike by teachers.

"I am very pleased to announce a 5% raise for teachers and all state employees,” Governor Jim Justice said in a tweet shortly after the deal was announced. “It’s time we invest in education and help our teachers and our kids go back to the classroom with pride in the great state of West Virginia.”

The deal was reached after a week of talks with Justice, the Republican-controlled Senate and union leaders. A previous deal last week was scuttled when the Senate rejected the 5 percent raise, offering 4 percent, following an agreement with union leaders, Justice and the state’s House.

Teachers were also fighting lower out-of-pocket expenses for health insurance, There has been no word on that part of the deal but a news conference is scheduled for later Tuesday.

All public schools were closed across the state, leaving about 277,000 students out of school and about 30,000 employees on the picket line.

A representative for the West Virginia Education Association union said schools will reopen their doors as soon as Wednesday.

The agreement was hailed as "the largest pay raise in state history" by Republican state Senator Craig Blair who said there would be not be any tax increase to offset the raise and the government would suffer a $20 million reduction in spending to come out of cuts to general services and health insurance for the elderly and the poor.

Before the deal was announced, the average annual salary for a teacher in West Virginia is approximately $45,000. By comparison, teachers in New York state average about $75,000 per year.