Summit Academy Parma Union and Management Have Ratified a New Contract, Ending Strike

After nine days on the picket line, the teachers and intervention specialists at Summit Academy Parma have a newly ratified contract.

In a press release, the Ohio Federation of Teachers announced the end of the strike effort. Kelly Granda, an art teacher is quoted as saying, "Our collective action on the picket like paid off. We were able to win contract language on staffing expectations and ongoing updates on filling or open staff positions." The release also includes a quote from Melissa Cropper, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. Cropper notes that the contract doesn't include everything the teachers requested but, "it sets higher standards for class size and staffing and gives teachers tools,like grievances and a Labor-Management Committee , they can use to keep making improvements."

On February 1, the charter school teacher's union authorized a strike effort after months of contract negotiations with Summit Academy Management. When a final attempt at the negotiating table did not include any substantial changes, the teachers and intervention specialists went on strike, becoming the fourth charter school in U.S. history to do so.

Only a week after the Parma teachers began their strike, employees at the Summit Academy school in Painesville filed a demand for union recognition. Today, the Parma teachers and intervention specialists have a fair contract.