Pueblo teachers want public bargaining meeting with District 60

The Pueblo Education Association will be meeting with Pueblo District 60 to discuss moving up a public bargaining meeting for terms to end the ongoing teacher strike.

That’s according to PEA President Suzanne Ethredge, who said the union wants the bargaining to be conducted publicly, per Colorado law. A meeting will happen at 10:30 a.m. with the hope of setting a time for the public bargaining session. Right now the bargaining meeting is set for 9 a.m. Saturday.

Thursday marked day four of the strike. The teachers are asking for a cost-of-living adjustment and an increase in employer contributions to staffers’ health insurance. Both demands were backed by a fact-finder who conducted a survey of the district.

The announcement comes hours after the district made a third offer to the union to put an end to the strike. The details of that deal weren’t made public, and Ethredge said she couldn’t discuss Thursday’s deal.

We asked Ethredge if she felt the teachers will get the two-percent cost-of-living adjustment requested, and she said she thinks the union is closer than it has ever been.

We’ll continue our coverage of the ongoing strike and bring you the latest on the meeting Friday.