West Virginia lawmakers announced Tuesday that a potential deal was reached to give a 5 percent pay raise to all state employees, including teachers, bringing an end to a 9-day teacher strike statewide.
West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice tweeted, “I’m very pleased to announce a 5% raise for teachers and all state employees. 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.”
I’m very pleased to announce a 5% raise for teachers and all state employees. 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. pic.twitter.com/Ms3DMo1fGh
— Governor Jim Justice (@WVGovernor) March 6, 2018
Christine Cambell, a teachers’ union representative told CNN she thinks students will return to class on Wednesday if the bill that passed in the House is passed in the Senate.
The strike began Feb. 22 when 20,000 teachers stopped showing up to school after Justice signed a bill providing a two percent raise for teachers next year and a one percent raise in the two years following. Teachers argued that the raises didn’t do enough to cover cost-of-living increases and complained that the legislation passed provided nothing to help cover increased healthcare costs or a tax on payroll deduction options.
A deal to end the strike looked possible last week when Justice agreed to a 5 percent raise with union leaders and got the measure approved by the House. The Republican Senate however, passed a bill over the weekend that included only a 4 percent raise, and the teachers continued to strike in response.
To pay for the raises, Senate Finance Chairman Craig Blair said it would require deep spending cuts from general government services and Medicaid by $20 million.
According to the National Education Association, West Virginia teachers ranked 48th in the nation in 2016 for how much it paid its teachers.
