CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- In response to a rejected “last, best and final contract offer” from the Cleveland-Heights-University Heights Board of Education, the teachers’ union has now filed its 10-day notice to strike, which would commence on Dec. 2.
Friday’s announcement came on the heels of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections’ “official” certification of the election results for Issue 69, a 4.8-mill operating levy that passed by 135 votes, meaning an automatic recount will still need to be completed over a similar time frame.
Cleveland Heights Teachers Union President Karen Rego said in a press release that the membership of 500 teachers, counselors, nurses, paraprofessionals, and other school support professionals will continue to fight for a fair contract, having been working without one since the previous one-year deal expired in June.
The last contract contained a 2 percent pay raise, but other than step increases for seniority, none was offered in the “last, best and final offer” the school board implemented on Sept. 29, citing an impasse in negotiations dating back to August.
That offer was overwhelmingly rejected by the union, with the last formal bargaining session conducted on Nov. 5 -- two days after the election and when the results were still unofficial.
From there, the membership gave Rego authorization to issue a strike notice, and although the CH-UH school board met in executive session to discuss contract negotiations on Tuesday (Nov. 17) the union was not involved in those talks.
The CHTU team has also not been invited to another school board executive session on contract negotiations set for Monday (Nov. 23), Rego said, adding that a mediator has been on board for talks since July 7.
Benefits overhauled
Union officials argue that the school district has “imposed contract terms that slash compensation by dramatically increasing costs on healthcare -- raising the employee share of the premium to 250 percent of its current share.”
Although the financial aspects would not kick in until the new year, the school board voted to raise health care premiums from 6 percent to 15 percent -- more than double, although some dispute the “250 percent” figure.
This would result in major savings to the district, not only in the case of teachers, but the 300 other employees who get the same benefits package.
“The compromises we have asked for are reasonable,” CH-UH School Board President Jodi Sourini said. “The healthcare plan currently in place is out of line with those of any comparable school district, as is the board’s pick-up of 1 percent of the teachers’ mandatory retirement contribution.
“Our offer aligns the union’s healthcare and retirement contributions with other similar-sized school districts, Sourini added.
The union countered that members will lose an average of nearly $4,000 on the healthcare changes alone.
And by eliminating the 1 percent retirement contribution, which teachers said was negotiated in a previous contract in lieu of a raise, members say they stand to lose up to 8 percent or more of their take-home pay through that concession.
“Our schools are facing unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19 and remote learning,” said CHTU 2nd Vice President Tamar Gray. “Teachers and staff have been working harder than ever and rising to meet these challenges.
Union members said that over the past decade, CH-UH teachers have received pay raises totaling 8.5 percent, which they contend is far below average cost-of-living increases and “far less” than raises in neighboring districts.
“At the same time, our district’s board has been fighting to push us backward on wages and benefits,” Gray added. “We can’t continue to do more with less.”
Another challenge has been the channeling of district funds to private schools through the EdChoice tuition voucher program, although the state legislature may be making some reforms to those funding formulas.
“We understand the financial state of our school district, especially the impact of voucher deductions in our district,” said CHTU 1st Vice-President Ari Klein. “We’re committed to working together with our Board to change state policy and end the harmful EdChoice voucher deductions.
“We’re disappointed that instead, our board has chosen to attack the teachers and staff who keep this school district running,” Klein added.
Strike preparations
Sourini and the board also sent out a release to families in the district on Friday (Nov. 20) that didn’t seem to hold out a lot of hope for further negotiations at this point.
“I’m disappointed to inform you that the CHTU has given the district a notice of their intent to strike,” Sourini began, calling the move unfortunate. “We expect their strike to begin on December 2. We do not yet know how long the strike will last.”
The district letter goes on to state students will continue their studies remotely as they have been doing since March in response to the pandemic and statewide health emergency.
But there’s also a link to a primer on the pending strike:
“This document contains a general overview of what families should expect when the strike begins. Additional details will follow next week,” the letter states.
School officials maintain that even with the prospective passage of the levy, the outlook for the district’s finances remains dire.
“We firmly believe our CH-UH schools have some of the best and brightest teachers in the classroom, and we have nothing but the highest respect for them and what they do for our students every day,” Sourini said. “However, we recognize that we face a fiscal crisis created by factors beyond our control.
Sourini went on to cite the EdChoice vouchers and district funding cuts by the state as major factors.
Rego said that the union has brought forward several proposals that offer concessions on insurance benefits.
“We know the district has the resources to settle a fair contract and we’re ready to work with our school board to find a resolution because our students deserve a school district that can recruit and retain the best educators,” Rego said.
In addition to keeping families updated, Sourini also urged anyone with questions to email them to strikequestions@chuh.org.
“We have worked hard to produce a fair offer during this challenging economic time,” Sourini said. “The threat of a strike given these extraordinary circumstances is disappointing. It remains ourgoal to resolve this contract swiftly and amicably.”
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