Collier County teachers fight for better pay

Collier County teachers have come to an agreement; however, they feel unsatisfied with the conclusion stating that school district did not listen to their demands.

On Wednesday, Collier County teachers entered their final bargaining meeting with the district and continued to fight for a livable wage.

The Collier school district offered a 12.5% salary increase for teachers with chunks varying by salary level, seniority, and position. The plan also changes the starting salary for teachers.

The union said their proposal is across the board and would up the pay by $5,000 for all teachers.

The teachers’ hope was to get the district to agree to pay educators every year for the work they do instead of having to wait, and it’s something they’ve been fighting for since December.

The Collier Teachers Union said it would be their last if they came to some sort of agreement.

They made a counteroffer to the district after the district proposed the 12.5% salary increase for teachers because the teacher’s union said it was not a 12% increase offer.

They believed very few people would get the full increase.

“You got to take care of people that put in what these teachers put in,” said Pam Baldwin, Vice president of the Collier County Education Association. “This is this is their life. This is what they believe this is what they do. They’ve put this district on the map. Year after year after year, this district continues to shine because of the excellent teachers they have. We got to take care of these people.”

The board will need to approve the deal in order for it to move forward.