Penn Hills School District and teachers union approve new contract, avoid strike
Nearly one month after the Penn Hills teachers' union voted to authorize a potential strike, they announced on Wednesday that they have voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement.
Back in February, the Penn Hills Education Association voted to authorize a strike. While that did not mean a strike was imminent, nor did they ever go on strike, they took the vote after being in negotiations for more than a year.
Along with the union's approval of the new collective bargaining agreement, the Penn Hills School Board also voted on Wednesday to approve.
"We are pleased with the outcome," said Mark Wolfe, president of the Penn Hills Education Association. "At the end of the day, we were able to maintain our healthcare and secure wage increases that will help our members, many of whom have dedicated their careers to this district. We are also hopeful that these improvements will attract and retain new teachers to the district at a time when there's a severe teacher shortage across the state."
The teachers' union and the school district have been negotiating since January 2024 and have been bargaining over things such as employee healthcare, wage increases, and other factors.
Once the contract is mutually ratified between the union and the school district, it will take effect and run through June 30, 2028.
