Still No End to Strongsville Teachers Strike

Another late night of negotiations, another day of striking teachers in Strongsville.

A  seven-hour bargaining session Thursday evening again failed to produce a contract agreement that would end the month-old teachers' strike here.

School Board President David Frazee said he attended part of the session and said the two sides are talking.

"I was pleased to see that there has been a significant amount of what appeared to be meaningful discussions taking place," Frazee said.

More talks are scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday.

Thursday's meeting was the second this week -- and the fourth since the strike started March 4 -- between Strongsville school leaders and the Strongsville Education Association, which represents 383 teachers and other employees. 

As bargaining teams met at a federal mediator's office in Independence, a couple hundred students and parents held a vigil outside the school offices on Pearl Road.

The fifth week of the strike has been an active one, with the SEA on Tuesday holding a rally on the City Commons at which U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown spoke on behalf of the striking teachers.

The SEA then delivered a proposal to Superintendent John Krupinski seeking to move to binding arbitration, offering to have teachers return to the classroom until the arbitration hearing. 

The School Board rejected the proposal, which also called for both sides to withdraw any pending unfair labor practice charges. It also sought to have striking teachers held harmless for any actions taken before or during the strike. 

"No reprisals of any kind shall be taken" against any student, SEA member, Ohio Department of Education member, community member or parent because of support for or participation in the strike, it says.

"Furthermore all reprimands and/or disciplinary actions that were issued before the strike, as well as all pending reprimands and/or disciplinary actions that were to be issued for actions that occurred prior to or during the strike shall by nullified by this agreement," the proposal reads.

The two sides met in the federal mediator's office for 14 hours on Wednesday. Thursday's session started at 3 p.m.

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For other stories on the teachers' strike, click here.

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