Strike | Cleveland Heights Teachers Union

Press Advisory for 12.2.20: 500 Educators to Begin Strike in Cleveland Heights-University Heights

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Educators in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District are beginning their strike tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. The members of the Cleveland Heights Teachers Union (CHTU) are striking in response to the district’s unilateral imposition of a new contract that slashes retirement and health benefits, costing many members $3,000-5,000 a year in losses. Union members are taking this step because lowering standards in the district will increase turnover and drive experienced, skilled educators out of our school district, impacting the quality of education for our students.

CHUH Schools Plan to Use Questionable Third-Party Vendors and to Stop Special Education During Strike 11.30.2020

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Members of the Cleveland Heights Teachers Union (CHTU) are highlighting deficiencies with the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District’s plan to provide education to students when teachers, counselors, social workers, nurses and other education professionals begin their strike on Wednesday, December 2. The union published a summary of their concerns on their website today.

Information on the District's Plan for Education During Our Strike

CH-UH City School District has announced that students in grades K-8 will be enrolled in Edmentum Exact Path for remote learning and students in grades 9-12 will be enrolled in Edgenuity for remote learning. Furthermore, They have also announced that they are unable to find licensed teachers for special education when the strike starts.

Edmentum and Edgenuity are both private equity-owned credit recovery providers that have pivoted to full-time virtual instruction to enhance their profits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neither platform is a sufficient replacement for the educational instruction provided by Cleveland Heights Teachers Union members.

Cleveland Heights Teachers Union Files Strike Notice 11.20.2020

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Cleveland Heights Teachers Union (CHTU), which represents 500 teachers, counselors, nurses, and other school support professionals, filed a ten day notice to strike, beginning on December 2, 2020. The strike notice follows months of bargaining sessions with the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District and a membership vote in October, with an overwhelming majority in favor of striking if a fair contract was not reached.

“We’re fighting for a fair contract because we know that the alternative -- lowering standards for teachers and staff -- will increase turnover and drive experienced, skilled educators out of our school district,” said CHTU President Karen Rego.

School District Moves to Strip Healthcare from Striking Teachers 11.27.2020

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH —The Board of Education for Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District (CH-UH) voted earlier this week to strip healthcare from teachers, counselors, nurses, and other school support professionals immediately when they begin their strike on Dec. 2.

The teachers, members of Cleveland Heights Teachers Union (CHTU), filed a 10 day notice last week for a strike to begin on Wednesday, December 2, if a fair contract settlement isn’t reached. This decision follows months of bargaining sessions and a strike authorization vote that passed with a 97.5% majority of members.

Insurance During A Strike

HEALTH INSURANCE DURING A STRIKE

One of the biggest concerns around going on strike will always be “what happens to health care insurance during the strike?”

Let’s assume the worst possible scenario :
The District decides to shut off access to health insurance on day 1 of a strike.

What happens if I go to a medical appointment?

In most cases patients are billed and have a certain amount of time to pay. If asked about insurance you can give your insurance card and state that you are on strike. If it’s not an essential medical appointment you should wait until the strike is over.

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