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Members of the Philadelphia teachers union voted to authorize a future strike Tuesday, flexing their political muscles amid contract negotiations with the school district.
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers said 94% percent of members in attendance at a meeting Tuesday evening voted to give leaders the power to call a strike if the union and the school district fail to reach an agreement by August when their contract expires.
The likelihood of a strike is unclear. But if PFT leaders do call a strike of their 14,000 members, it could disrupt the opening days of the new school year. The 2025-26 school year begins August 18 for staff and August 25 for students.
The union and district return to the negotiating table Wednesday. Christina Clark, a district spokesperson, said in an email Tuesday that district officials are “optimistic that we will reach an agreement on a successor collective bargaining agreement.”
PFT President Arthur Steinberg said in a statement that the union already “has made progress toward an agreement that demonstrably improves members’ working conditions.” But key demands remain, specifically changes that would address the district’s staffing shortage “that has left teachers, counselors, and other school staff juggling duties beyond their own job descriptions.”
The district started the school year with 347 teacher vacancies.
Tuesday’s vote signals that the union is taking stock of its political power in the city. It’s the PFT’s first strike authorization vote since the district regained local control from the state.
When the school district was under state control from 2001 to 2018, the PFT was barred from striking and teachers went without an active contract for five years. As a result, union leadership says teacher salaries have lagged, which has contributed to teacher churn.
The average Philly classroom teacher salary in 2024-25 was $85,719, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
In February 2024, the union and district were on good terms. Both parties agreed to a one-year contract extension that included raises and retention bonuses well before the previous contract’s expiration date in August 2024.
The district may have some additional resources to offer — but not for several years. Mayor Cherelle Parker and members of City Council reached a budget agreement this month that would increase the district’s share of property tax revenue from 56% to 56.5% in 2030. Parker said that increase will provide an additional $12 million per year for teacher salaries.
Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.
