Today, representatives of the Columbus City Schools Board of Education and the Columbus Education Association (CEA) filed a Joint Petition for Amendment of Certification with the State Employment Relations Board (SERB) to add Building Substitutes to the CEA bargaining unit.
“Together with the Columbus Education Association, the Board of Education has voluntarily agreed to add Building Substitutes to the CEA bargaining unit,” said Columbus Board of Education President Jennifer Adair. “We believe in meaningful labor relationships with our union leadership and their represented members. We are excited to provide our vital building substitutes with a collective voice and to work toward a fair agreement to ensure the best outcomes for our students.”
“We are thrilled to officially welcome nearly 300 Building Substitutes to our union family”, said CEA President John Coneglio. “These dedicated educators came to the School Board with supermajority support for joining CEA and the Board has done the right thing by swiftly recognizing their union. This cooperative recognition process should serve as a model for all employers in our city whose employees seek union representation.”
The District and CEA await SERB action on the joint petition but anticipate negotiations this summer with the goal of having a labor agreement for Building Substitutes in place before the 2023-2024 school year.
