Detroit Teachers Agree To End Two-Week Walkout

Full CNN story here.

The financially struggling district initially sought a 5.5 percent pay cut over two years, part of $88 million in concessions it wanted from the 7,000 teachers and 2,500 other unionized professionals. The district has a $1.36 billion budget and is trying to close a $105 million deficit.

The union wanted raises after years without them.

The two sides eventually agreed on a one-year pay freeze, followed by increases of 1 percent the second year and 2.5 percent the third. Veteran teachers will start paying 10 percent of their health insurance costs, something that only those hired since 1992 had been doing. Teachers will lose three days' pay for three preparation days that were canceled because of the strike.

Someone please tell me this is not the future. Freeze for a year, and paltry 1 and 2% raises? CNN posted this story at 10:52pm on the 13th.

Just for some perspective, the following story was printed in the Detroit Free Press on the same morning, Sept. 13:

Foreclosures soar
35,000 Metro Detroiters lose homes so far this year
Dorothy Bourdet / The Detroit News

Metro Detroit homeowners are skidding into foreclosure at nearly three times the rate as they were last year as a slumping economy, falling home values and risky mortgages leave more household budgets in the red.

From the manors of Bloomfield Hills to the bungalows in south Warren, Metro Detroiters in every walk of life are having trouble making their house payments and fending off the repo man.
According to figures to be released today by RealtyTrac, foreclosures shot up 137 percent, from 14,789 to 35,041, in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Livingston counties from January through August, compared to the same period last year.

I am speechless.