GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — Garfield Heights teachers say they’re prepared to strike if necessary, though the move would be a last resort if months of contract negotiations fail.
Bargaining between the Garfield Heights City Schools (GHCS) School Board and Garfield Heights Teachers Association (GHTA) has been ongoing since late April. Teacher contracts expired in June and teachers began the 2022-2023 school year without an agreement in place.
On Friday, more than 200 GHTA members voted unanimously to authorize its negotiation team to give a 10-day strike notice if it’s deemed necessary.
“The teachers association at the negotiating table still had not been heard about how important this stability is for our school district,” said Susan Hart, a GHTA spokesperson and teacher in the district for 27 years.
Hart said when the bargaining progress had slowed, GHTA agreed to bring on a federal mediator. On September 15, the federal mediator sent dates for mediation, which the union agreed to accommodate. Hart said after several requests to the district office, it has not heard a response from district administration.
She explained one of the major sticking points, from the union’s perspective, is a lack of support for teachers which some worry is causing instability for staff and students alike.
“It's the stability of having substitute teachers. It's the stability of staff not having to spot sub classes and missing their actual class time and teaching,” she said.
In response, the Garfield Heights City Schools issued the following statement:
“The top priority of the Garfield Heights City Schools is to uphold our mission to prepare students to pursue their dreams and give back as engaged citizens and future leaders. That is why the Board of Education and district administration were disappointed in the surprising maneuver late this past Friday afternoon, when GHTA voted to authorize a 10-day notice to strike. Such a tactic does nothing to fulfill our community-oriented mission statement and disrupts the overall learning process. Since negotiations began in April 2022 - despite a summer break when GHTA refused to negotiate - the negotiating teams have met on no fewer than 10 separate occasions and have reached tentative agreements on more than 12 articles impacting the current contract. Some of these issues include language around teacher evaluations, employee discipline, and student discipline. Additionally, the Board’s negotiating team has compromised on several important issues, such as increasing the financial package, recognizing staff committed to long-term employment with the district, and adjusting the pay associated with period substitutions, indicating a willingness to continue discussions. These points, in addition to the fact that the Board’s negotiating team recently reached a contract agreement with our classified union (OAPSE), finds GHTA’s decision to authorize a 10-day notice as a mere distraction, one that hurts students and does nothing to collaboratively seek compromise. The Garfield Heights City Schools is dedicated to the negotiating process and re-asserts its willingness to reach a fair contract with all parties, while operating within the financial realities of the district.”
Hart said teachers also have students’ best interest in mind and neither side wishes to strike.
“We want to negotiate with them. That’s what we’re hoping for. We don’t want to strike,” she said. “Our biggest stand is the safety, stability and success of our students. And that is really the number one thing that we're looking for.”
The GHTA Crisis Committee plans to meet Tuesday to discuss next steps, including a timeline for if and when it would issue a strike notice.
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