After warning of widespread teacher layoffs for months, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced Wednesday morning that the city would eliminate planned raises for all of its public-school teachers for the next two years, which he said would “save the jobs of some 4,400 teachers.”

In a statement released to reporters, Mr. Bloomberg said he had spoken with Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, about his decision.

“This was not an ideal decision and it certainly does not solve all our budget issues,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement. “In our conversation this morning, Michael Mulgrew and I agreed that we would go together to Albany and Washington to press our case to restore more education funding.”

The teachers’ union contract with the city expired at the end of October, and earlier this year Mr. Bloomberg announced that he would grant only 2 percent raises for the next two years for teachers and principals, rather than the 4 percent that other city unions received. The mayor’s move would eliminate the raises entirely.

Mr. Mulgrew has repeatedly complained over the last several months that Mr. Bloomberg and his schools chancellor, Joel I. Klein, have not done enough to press Albany to restore $500 million in education budget cuts for New York City. It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Mulgrew agreed to the deal. A call to Mr. Mulgrew was not immediately returned.

(Source: NY Times)