Workers at Worthington Libraries Ratify First Union Contract

Worthington, OH — Librarians and other workers at Worthington Libraries voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first union contract. The union members held their vote on Monday and Tuesday, March 20 and 21. The Worthington Libraries Board of Trustees also voted to ratify the agreement during their Board meeting on Tuesday evening. The contract makes huge gains on the issues that motivated library staff to form their union, including paid leave, job security, and competitive wages. 

What unions do

In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.

Tell your legislators: Don’t defund Ohio schools, libraries, and children’s services

Tell your legislators to reject two dangerous proposals* that would sabotage Ohio’s budget and jeopardize funding for public schools, higher education, libraries, children’s services, and other essential public services. Instead, tell them to meet their constitutional obligation to fully and equitably fund Ohio’s public schools.

*HB1 is a regressive tax scheme that would lead to big tax cuts for the rich and create a $4 billion revenue shortfall over the next two years.

Vote for Pat Davidson for STRS Board

This Spring, STRS Ohio will hold an election for one contributing member seat on the State Teachers Retirement Board. This seat is currently held by Arthur Lard.
OFT is proud to announce that we have endorsed Pat Davidson. Pat is a member of Berea Federation of Teachers and a Business and Computer teacher with 22 years experience. Read below about Pat’s experience and his priorities for STRS. 

A torrent of censorship

Nearly 250 years since our country’s founding, some Americans are still attempting to restrict others’ basic freedoms. In Florida and elsewhere, censoring books is part of larger efforts to exert greater control over and undermine education.