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Teachers union votes overwhelmingly to support agreement with Fresno Unified

By Jessica Johnson
Fresno Teachers Association bargaining chair Jon Bath speaks at the microphone at center, making a motion to go on strike, during a meeting of the FTA in a packed house at People's Church in Fresno on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. On Feb. 6, 2018, the association voted to ratify a tentative agreement that was reached on Jan. 17, 2018 with Fresno Unified, eliminating the possibility of a strike.
Fresno Teachers Association bargaining chair Jon Bath speaks at the microphone at center, making a motion to go on strike, during a meeting of the FTA in a packed house at People's Church in Fresno on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. On Feb. 6, 2018, the association voted to ratify a tentative agreement that was reached on Jan. 17, 2018 with Fresno Unified, eliminating the possibility of a strike. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com

An overwhelming majority of the Fresno Teachers Association’s members have voted to ratify a tentative agreement with Fresno Unified.

Out of 2,166 association members who voted Tuesday evening, 2,001 voted “yes” and 157 voted “no,” according to a Fresno Teachers Association news release.

The tentative agreement, reached after more than a year of negotiations, includes a total 8.5 percent salary increase for teachers over three years; changes to healthcare and district-wide reductions to classroom sizes.

The school board is expected to vote to ratify the agreement during their meeting Wednesday.

Back in October, thousands of teachers had voted to authorize the union to call a strike if an agreement with Fresno Unified couldn’t be reached. Fears of a strike were averted, however, after bargaining sessions last month resulted in a deal.

Jessica Johnson: 559-441-6051, @iamjesslj

This story was originally published February 6, 2018 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Teachers union votes overwhelmingly to support agreement with Fresno Unified."

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