Teachers and City Come to Terms for New Contract

On Tuesday evening, the Peabody School Committee is scheduled to approve a new contract with the city’s largest union – the Peabody Federation of Teachers.

Both sides have been engaged in negotiations since last summer, and while talks have often been highly contentious in recent years, that process appears to have been markedly smoother and quicker this time around. The last contract for teachers expired June 30, 2012.

The details of the new contract have not been publicly released yet – the teachers’ union has ratified the agreement – but Mayor Ted Bettencourt has indicated all employees are receiving a 2 percent annual pay raise over three years, effective from July 1, 2012.

Union contracts that have already been approved by the City Council have not deviated from that provision.

Bettencourt says he was able to build up some goodwill with the city’s 14 unions working on a major healthcare agreement, which was agreed upon last summer and placed the city into the state’s Group Insurance Commission.

Bettencourt was also instrumental in settling the new contract with teachers. The Peabody Weekly News reports he became actively involved later in the process to help resolve some issues that stalled negotiations.

He was likewise involved in talks with the police union, which was the first union to settle earlier this year.

Bettencourt told the paper the new contract was a fair deal both for teachers and taxpayers.

Tuesday’s special meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Kiley School.