Public school teachers in Detroit went on strike on their first scheduled day of work. Their union, the Detroit Federation of Teachers, overwhelmingly rejected a two-year contract proposal by the district on Sunday. The proposal included a 5.5 percent wage reduction and co-payments for health care benefits of up to 20 percent. Only two teachers out of nearly 6,000 voted to accept the district’s proposal, the union said. The teachers are seeking a pay increase. Classes are scheduled to start Sept. 5 for about 130,000 students. A district spokesman, Lekan Oguntoyinbo, said about 7 percent of teachers showed up for work.þþ
Source: NY Times
