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Saturday, July 10, 2010

Proposed Cleveland teachers contract limits pay cuts, preserves seniority | cleveland.com

Proposed Cleveland teachers contract limits pay cuts, preserves seniority | cleveland.com

Proposed Cleveland teachers contract limits pay cuts, preserves seniority

Published: Saturday, July 10, 2010, 4:00 AM Updated: Saturday, July 10, 2010, 10:46 AM
david quolke.jpgCleveland Teachers Union President David Quolke, shown in a file photo, is urging members to ratify a tentative agreement with the school district.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland teachers would give up an estimated $17 million in concessions under a tentative contract, but would limit pay cuts and protect seniority rights that were targeted by Chief Executive Officer Eugene Sanders.

The three-year agreement, a copy of which was obtained Friday by The Plain Dealer, also would return to the payroll many of the more than 660 union members who were laid off last month. The exact number has not been determined.

The district's nearly 3,900 teacherswould give up three paid training days, or 1.5 percent of their salaries, below the 4.6 percent Sanders had demanded. They also would forgo reimbursement for voluntary training, delay step increases until the last quarter of the school year and pay higher health-care premiums.