City workers in San Jose OK pact that ends strike

Striking municipal workers threatened with mass firings overwhelmingly ratified an agreement reached with city negotiators to end a precedent-setting walkout over the concept of equal pay for men and women in "comparable" jobs.

Mayor Janet Gray Hayes said she was proud that her city was the first in the country to address the problem of unequal pay for women holding jobs of comparable economic value to those held by men.

The agreement, which gives workers general cost-of-living increases of 7.5 percent during the first year and 8 percent in the second year, also calls for a two-year program -- costing the city $1.45 million -- to equalize pay for women workers.