West Bloomfield (Mich.) school district cuts teacher pay by 10 percent

From The Detroit News: After 18 months of failed negotiations, the West Bloomfield (Mich.) school board has voted 5-2 to impose a 10 percent pay cut on teachers. The cut is retroactive to Dec. 1, and teachers will see a 6.9 percent reduction this year and 10 percent next year. Teachers said they learned about the move the day before when they opened their paychecks. Some teachers also will lose payments for tenure. The cut is retroactive to Dec. 1, so teachers will see a total reduction this school year of 6.9 percent. Next year, the cut will be a full 10 percent. District officials say the cut is necessary because they're facing a $2.9 million deficit and teacher pay and benefits account for 70 percent of the budget. But the Michigan Education Association says it is likely to file an unfair labor practice complaint because the union believes the cuts were imposed before the vote.