To protest a lack of contract and a lack of a pay raise over 5 years, Philly teachers have called out of work and are protesting today.

As reported by Philadelphia Magazine, the officials from the School District of Philadelphia stated that roughly 1,000 teachers (12 percent of the force) called out with many attending a rally that started a 7:30 am outside of the Philadelphia School District Headquarters in addition to a protest at City Hall that took place for International Worker’s Day or “May Day.”

According to Philly.com, teachers from several high profile schools in the area attended the morning rally that was organized by the Caucus of Working Educators from Masterman, Franklin Learning Center, Central High School, and the U School to Mifflin Elementary, among other schools.

The protests come after the school district and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers have continued to fail to agree on a contract - an ongoing battle that has been going on for over 4 years that resulted in 5 years of teachers without a pay raise.

The battle protests come after an announcement from the school district that they aim to hire 1,000 teachers in the 2017-2018 school year.