CHTU Updates | Cleveland Heights Teachers Union

CHTU Update - 8.30.19

Dear Colleagues,

Let me know ASAP if you can spare an hour on September 5 to help with voter registration at one of the elementary schools.

The most accurate info for your pay is found in the employee access center (link) - more information than is on your paystub. One of the changes we have noticed is that for some members the stub "salary" line includes supplemental or differential pay. Multiply the salary line by 26 and you should get your annual pay - this should line up with the values given in employee access center.

It is possible that some supplemental contracts are not included in the

CHTU Update - 8.28.19 BOE votes on contract

Dear Colleagues,

Last night the Board of Education voted to approve our new contract - so it is official. Below I have included the joint press release that we are putting out in conjunction with Board President Jodi Sourini. Payroll is working to ensure the 2% raises are included in the pay at the end of this week.

The plan design changes for insurance WILL NOT go into effect until January 1. This includes the changes in ER rooms and adding the telemedicine benefit. We are not sure when the other insurance changes will occur, but will keep you up to date.

In Union, Ari Klein, CHTU President

Cleve

CHTU Update - new hires - 8.27.19

Dear Colleagues,

Permission is required for use of personal days used directly before or after a school vacation day. For more info: http://chtu.oh.aft.org/frequently-asked-questions/personal-and-sick-leave-faq

We can still use some help on Thursday from 6:15 - 8:15 (or just the first hour) with voter registration at the middle schools curriculum nights. Thanks to volunteers who will staff the high school on Wednesday night. Secondary members - we need your help on September 5 to staff all 7 elementary schools. Please contact me if you can help.

Two of our Security Monitors were recalled

CHTU Update - August 23, 2019

Dear Colleagues,

I hope your first week of school went as well as it could go.

The final tally is in for our contract ratification vote:
508 ballots were printed:
407 accept and 61 reject.

Thank you for participating in this important vote.

The contract will go into effect after the Board of Education votes on Tuesday. Please know that the some plan design elements that we changed (ER room copay for non-emergencies and telemedicine will not be effective until January 1).

Payroll will be trying to ensure that raises are part of the August 30 pay next week. New Salary notices will NOT be sent

CHTU Update May 31, 2019 One More Word

Dear Colleagues,

Congratulations on making it successfully to the end of the year!

Thanks to all the members who attended our general meeting at Forest Hills Church on Wednesday. It is a busy time of year, but 280 of you stood in unity to reject the current contract offer. Ballots are due Friday by 4. We will publish results on Monday.

Looking ahead please consider attending the STRS meeting in Columbus on June 20. This is the only meeting of the entire year that active members can attend and not miss work. Let me know if you are interested and we can arrange carpools.

Consider joining the

CHTU Update - May 7, 2019

Dear Colleagues,

Thanks to everyone who helped put a raffle basket together or bought raffle tickets at our social on Friday. We raised over $1,250 for our Glenn Altschuld Scholarship for a Heights Senior intending to go into education.

We honored two members.

School Social Worker Josephine Shelton-Townes with the Ellen Krebs award and Middle School Teacher Tiffiny Underhile with the Tom Schmida Award.

Josephine is active participant in many different venues. She serves as an officer of the local, president of the credit union board, is an ER&D instructor, also facilitates training with the

CHTU - April 30, 2019

Dear Colleagues,

By today everyone should have a tentative assignment for next year. One member is being RIFd on account of the elimination of some positions. Overall, we expect to have close to the same number of bargaining unit positions next year and hope that our RIFd member will be recalled as soon as possible. We have a consensus statement in our contract that recognizes the importance of stability in assignment. It reads:

Stability in assignment must be balanced with the District’s need to be nimble when ensuring positions are filled with people who possess the proper licensure. When

CHTU update - April 24, 2019

Dear Colleagues,

The spring social is right around the corner, May 3 at Nighttown. Please see attached flyer and get your reservation in so we know how much food to order.

Please register for ER&D classes. This is an incredible value at $155 for the equivalent of 2 hours on the salary scale and credit toward license renewal. AND, the training is great. (Link)

Our Make-A-Wish donations have secured a yellow lab puppy for extensive training. We will let you know when Megan and the puppy get paired. (see cute picture attached)

When a co-teacher is absent we believe the remaining teacher

CHTU Update - April 4, 2019

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to testing month! So much much effort goes into ridiculous state tests this month, finishing up SLOs, and other nonsense that has so little to do with teaching and learning. I am sure most of you agree that when anytime there is a change in the daily schedule or routine, our students act out in different ways. So, along with the stress related to the tests we also have the anxiety, uncertainty and general weariness that comes from being forced to comply with testing mandates. Glad we had spring break to prepare, but I am already feeling that break was years ago.

CHTU Update - March 15, 2019

Dear Colleagues,

Today's check has an extra day pay. It is part of our negotiated agreement even though these two days (one in December and one in March) do not show up on the salary schedule. They are "Independent Activity Days" in recognition of a tiny fraction of the work we all do outside of school. It is your daily rate.

Thanks to everyone who showed up on Wednesday at Delisle and those who supported our team through wearing a union shirt. It meant a lot to us to have your backing when we went into our first session.

Secondary teachers may have noticed a conflict around the end of