No teachers-union contract? No problem!

A state law that has forced the city to give out nearly $300 million in fat raises to a majority of teachers is frustrating Mayor Bloomberg’s effort to persuade the teachers union — and its allies in Albany — to back a repeal of the “last in, first out” policy covering layoffs, The Post has learned.

It’s Albany’s dirty little secret. The teachers-union contract expired in October 2009, but the so-called Triborough Amendment still requires the city to continue paying teachers “salary step” increases for longevity or obtaining additional education credits.

The policy gives union leaders more leverage to fight to protect LIFO — which requires that layoffs be done by reverse seniority rather than merit — because there’s no pressure on them to come to the bargaining table and compromise on workforce-accountability rules while teachers continue to get pay hikes, critics said.

“Why would a union leader negotiate a new contract if his members are still getting raises? The law creates a disincentive for unions to negotiate incentives or concessions,” said E.J. McMahon, who studies labor issues for the Empire State Policy Center. “It’s ridiculous.”

The Department of Education paid out $145 million in raises to 41,068 teachers last school year.

Sixty percent of the 71,339 teachers received an average increase of $3,539 in the 2009-10 school year, compared to the year before.

The average salary of these teachers was $63,167 — resulting in a yearly salary increase of 5.6 percent, according to DOE data.

The DOE says it’s paying out another $150 million in raises to a similar number of teachers this year.

City officials say they’re obligated to give out the raises under the law, except if teachers wage an illegal strike.

One UFT insider defended the salary hikes: “It’s part of the contract. The city agreed to it. The longevity increases have been there for years.”

Read article here