Philadelphia schools cancel contract with teachers' union

Valerie Srauss, Washington Post - The five-member reform commission that controls the cash-starved Philadelphia public schools announced on Monday that it was canceling its contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and while it would continue to honor most contract provisions, it would change the package of health-care benefits and require all teachers to contribute to the health fund. The union said the commission’s action “has amped up a war on teachers.”

The Philadelphia School Reform Commission, in a surprise move, said that after 21 months of negotiating with the  Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, that it would abrogate the contract, which has largely remained in effect even though it actually expired in August 2013. The commission has unilaterally taken other steps to violate contract provisions, including stopping paying teachers for “step” increases.