Anoka-Hennepin teachers, district reach tentative contract agreement, averting strike
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The Anoka-Hennepin teachers union and school district have reached a tentative contract agreement, averting a strike that could have started as soon as Thursday.
In a statement early Wednesday, the district said the agreement came after a 20-hour mediation session that started Tuesday morning. That session was the latest in months of negotiations.
“School will be in session as planned on Thursday and activities are expected to continue as scheduled,” the district said.
The union posted a brief statement on its Facebook page confirming the tentative agreement, and thanking “everyone for your support and solidarity.”
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Union leaders say the deal averts teacher pay cuts.
“This tentative agreement means educators will be where they belong going forward — in classrooms with students, not on the picket line,” John Wolhaupter, president of Anoka Hennepin Education Minnesota, said in a statement. “It protects our members from going backwards and gives our students the stability they deserve.”
Terms of the contract agreement were not immediately released. It still needs to be ratified by union members and then approved by the school board.
Earlier in negotiations, union leaders had raised concerns that the district’s offers would force some educators to take an effective pay cut to maintain health insurance.
The district had previously said that it was working to improve teacher salaries within a tight budget situation.
Anoka-Hennepin is the largest school district in Minnesota with 3,200 teachers, counselors, social workers and nurses operating in 50 schools.
