Striking Detroit teachers defy judge’s order to work

DETROIT — Thousands of striking Detroit teachers defied a judge’s order to return to work Monday as school officials and the union resumed contract talks in the two-week dispute.

Circuit Judge Susan Borman on Friday ordered the 7,000 teachers to go back to work Monday, but district spokesman Lekan Oguntoyinbo said the overwhelming majority remained off the job. He said attorneys would go back to court today to ask the judge to “enforce our rights.”

State law allows for fines and other penalties against employees who ignore a back-to-work order, but Oguntoyinbo would not say what action the district would seek.

Janna Garrison, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said individual teachers were free to decide whether to work or strike.

“We’re not just fighting for ourselves. We’re fighting for our students,” she told reporters.

The walkout began Aug. 28 after teachers rejected a twoyear contract that would have cut pay 5.5 percent and increased copayments for health care. The district has sought $88 million in concessions from the union to help close a $105 million deficit in its $1.36 billion budget for the fiscal year.