By Maria Hickey, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The Collinsville school district has avoided a strike that could have begun today (Monday). Union teachers voted Sunday in favor of a contract agreement 58% - 42%.
The contract includes a 4.5% salary increase annually over its three years. The district is also switching from its self-insurance program to a co-op plan in January. While the raise is substantially less than the 17% teachers had asked for, the union's negotiating team recommended its members vote in favor.
School board attorney Barney Mundorf says both sides compromised: "I'm fairly sure the board feels they gave a little more than they could afford and equally certain the teachers didn't get as much as they wanted, and we call that in negotiations a contract."
Union negotiator Stacey Soehlke says teachers were unhappy with the contract but felt they had little choice.
"The offer was a slap in the face to the teachers of this school district," Soehlke said Sunday.
"It's less money than we've received the last three years, plus we're switching insurance. The district continues to build their surplus and now they're asking us to take less money and switch our insurances."
Soehlke says she and others will work to unseat several school board members when they come up for re-election.