COLUMBUS, OH – July 8, 2022 – Today, the Columbus Education Association (CEA) filed an unfair labor practice charge with the State Employment Relations Board alleging that the district has illegally reassigned educators whose primary job assignment is to advocate for homeless youth from their union positions to non-union positions and has effectively stripped these educators of their contractual rights and protections.
Educators in the Project Connect program serve some of the district’s most vulnerable students and have been part of their union for decades. These educators work tirelessly to remove barriers to education by helping to feed, clothe, and educate students experiencing homelessness. Amy Bradley, a Project Connect educator affected by the Board’s decision, explained that de-professionalizing her department tells her students they deserve less: less professionalism, less stability, and less oversight. She asks, “why would the District destabilize a department that seeks to stabilize education for our most vulnerable youth? How is that equitable? How does that serve the whole child?”
CEA believes that this unilateral Board decision violates Ohio Revised Code Sections 4417.11(A)(1) and (A)(5) and serves as another example of the Board’s refusal to prioritize safe, properly maintained, fully resourced schools for our students, especially those most vulnerable. CEA has taken this action as educators continue to negotiate in good faith with the Board to reach agreement on a new labor contract that provides for safe, properly maintained, fully resourced schools in every neighborhood. The current CEA contract expires at 12:01 a.m. August 22, 2022.
For the latest information, like the CEA page on Facebook at ColumbusEA, and follow @ColumbusEA on Twitter and on Instagram @ColumbusEA, and keep up with the conversation on social media with #ColumbusStudentsDeserve.
The Columbus Education Association is the union representing nearly 4,500 teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors, psychologists, and other education professionals in Columbus City Schools. The Columbus Education Association is a proud affiliate of the Ohio Education Association and the National Education Association.