Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a deal with New York City’s largest teachers’ union that would raise wages by 18 percent over nine years in exchange for a $1.3 billion reduction in health care costs.
The agreement, which includes $3.4 billion in back pay and must be ratified by the union’s 100,000 members, is a milestone moment for Mr. de Blasio and city officials hope it will set a template for dozens of other outstanding contracts with the municipal work force.
“This is a mayor who actually respects the work force,” said Michael Mulgrew, who leads the United Federation of Teachers, as Mr. de Blasio stood beside him at a news conference.
Mr. de Blasio hailed the deal as “a great day for our educators” and “a great victory for the taxpayers,” saying the agreement would provide annual raises and promote teacher retention while staying within the contours of the city’s budget.
The contract was reached with the assistance of mediator Martin Scheinman, who helped the parties navigate through nine years of unsettled contracts and find a framework that could serve as a model for 150 other municipal union contracts still to be negotiated.
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