Detroit Teachers, District Strike Deal to Open Schools

Pact won’t require salaries to be cut, but district must make up shortfall elsewhere.

After 16 days on the picket lines, teachers in Detroit returned to their schools at the end of last week, ending a period of intense uncertainty and chaos for the already-troubled district.

Schools reopened Sept. 14, after thousands of teachers belonging to the 9,500-member Detroit Federation of Teachers voted to accept a three-year contract hammered out following days of negotiations between union leaders and school officials.

Under the deal, teachers will accept a pay freeze in the first year, but will receive a 1 percent raise in the second and a 2.5 percent hike in the third year of the contract. Also, veteran teachers will now start paying 10 percent of their health- insurance costs—a provision that was earlier required only of...