Fostoria teachers unanimously authorize possible strike

FOSTORIA, OH (TiffinOhio.net News) — Fostoria teachers have unanimously voted to authorize their bargaining team to send a ten day strike notice to the Fostoria Board of Education and the Ohio State Employment Relations Board (SERB).

This unanimous vote took place at a general membership meeting of the Fostoria Education Association (FEA) on Wednesday, August 28.

The Fostoria teachers’ bargaining team now has the legal and contractual authority to schedule a strike date should the Fostoria Board of Education continue its unwillingness to reach a fair and reasonable contract settlement with its teaching staff.

The FEA and the Fostoria Board of Education have been in negotiations since May 2019 without reaching an agreement. Mediation assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS) has also been unsuccessful.

Fostoria teachers made it clear at Wednesday’s meeting that they believed they had no choice other than to consider a strike as an option given the Board of Education’s failure to reach a fair settlement with its teaching staff.

The contract between the FEA and the Fostoria Board of Education expired June 30, 2019. There are no new bargaining dates scheduled at this time.

The Fostoria Education Association represents 142 certified classroom teachers, guidance counselors, librarians, psychologists, and other education professionals employed by the Fostoria Board of Education.