Dear Colleague,

          Conditions in CPS appear to be as uncertain as Cincinnati’s winter weather conditions this year.  The Board of Education has made public the fact that the overall CPS budget is in bad shape, with potential deficits in the coming school years.  Obviously this means that decisions will have to be made that will have substantial impact on the operating of our schools.
Negotiations are, of course, impacted significantly by the dismal budget forecast.  Bargaining priorities that have cost implications have little potential to be accepted at times when revenue is not increasing, causing expenditures to be restricted.
Progress at the bargaining table also has been disappointing.  The CFT negotiations team has put in many long hours. To date, the two teams, however, have been unable to find common ground on most issues – even those which are non-economic.
Health care talks are in progress with different district team members, a different chief negotiator for CPS, and a different facilitator.  The Board’s team made its very first proposal on Saturday, February 17^th.  The unions are in the process of discussing the Board’s proposal, which calls for very steep employee contributions.  The unions will formally respond to the Board’s proposal within the next week.
  Please know that your bargaining team is making every effort to engage in productive discussions.  We will update our website as soon as any next steps are determined relating to the current bargaining process.

In solidarity,
Sue Taylor, CFT President