California IN BRIEF : OAKLAND : Teachers OK Pact, End Strike

Oakland teachers approved a new contract Tuesday, ending a five-week strike and sending thousands of students back to class. Union membership approved the contract with 1,043 votes for it and 330 votes against. “We will be back to work tomorrow morning,” said Ben Visnick, president of the Oakland Education Assn., which represents 3,500 teachers. The school board approved the settlement Monday. Union leaders said the new pact provides an average $3,000 bonus, a total 22% raise over four years and smaller class sizes in some grades. The contract hikes top-scale teachers’ salaries to $57,385 by 1999, while beginning teachers rise to $30,524, the union said.