Press

ATHENS, OHIO — Library workers at Athens County Public Libraries (ACPL) have ratified their first union contract, which makes substantial gains on the issues that motivated library staff to form their union, including paid time off benefits for part-time employees, paid parental leave, guaranteed raises, and protections against unfair discipline.

"Library workers go above and beyond to serve our communities every day, and we look forward to having a say in how our workplace operates moving forward,” said Ellie Hamrick, a Youth Services Librarian at Chauncey Public Library and member of the Athens County Public Libraries United (ACPLU) bargaining committee. “Our strength lies in our unity with each other, our patrons, and organized workers in Athens County and around the world." 

COLUMBUS/CLEVELAND — Educators at two Ohio charter schools, Menlo Park Academy and KIPP Columbus, have just ratified their first union contracts after years of negotiations.

“We are thrilled that we were finally able to reach a contract agreement that addresses many of the issues that caused us to organize our union, including high turnover, inadequate paid time off, and large class sizes,” said Krystin Byrd, a 5th Grade Science Teacher at KIPP Columbus Elementary. “While we’re disappointed that it took our schools’ leadership three years to reach a fair agreement with us, we are ready to start working together, as equal partners, to advance the mission of our school and support our students.”

Members of the Columbus College of Art & Design Faculty Alliance (CFA) are now working under their first union contract, which went into effect on Friday, May 8 after an overwhelming majority of union members voted to ratify the contract earlier in the week. The agreement covers full time and adjunct professors at the private art and design college in downtown Columbus.

“We’re proud of the changes we were able to make with this contract and look forward to building a strong collaborative relationship with administration as we implement the contract and exercise our union voice at work."

UPPER ARLINGTON, OH — Library workers at Upper Arlington Public Library have ratified their first contract after nearly two years of bargaining. Members of the union, Upper Arlington Public Library United Staff (UAPLUS), voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratification last week. The contract makes huge gains on the issues that motivated library staff to form their union, including improved paid time off benefits for part-time employees, paid parental leave, guaranteed raises, and protections against unfair discipline.

“As a bargaining committee, we worked hard in negotiations to make the improvements in our workplace that we and our co-workers need so our libraries can be workplaces where we can thrive and build a career,” said Josh Stewart, a training and support coordinator at Tremont Road Library. “We’re excited to work together to implement and enforce this contract and to negotiate an even stronger contract when we’re back at the bargaining table in a couple of years.”

"STRS members deserve the same rights that members of Ohio’s other public pensions have, including having a retirement board controlled by elected members of the pension plan. The state legislature tried to take this away from us last year and install a board majority of political appointees, but a lawsuit filed by OFT, OEA, and AAUP members has prevented the changes from going into effect. Julie and Liz’s work on the STRS Board show why it is essential that STRS members can elect, and hold accountable, representatives to the Board who are literally invested in the work of securing fair pensions for educators."

DELAWARE, OHIO — Librarians and other workers at Delaware County District Library (DCDL) have finalized their first union contract following ratification votes by union members and the DCDL Board of Trustees. Members of the union, Delaware County United Library Staff (DCULS), voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratification last week and the DCDL Board voted in favor of the agreement at their meeting on March 17. The contract makes huge gains on the issues that motivated library staff to form their union, including extending benefits to part-time employees and providing competitive wages and longevity bonuses to attract and retain staff. 

“For the past seven years, we’ve seen a disconnect between Governor DeWine’s words and the end result of the policies and funding decisions he has put into place. Nowhere is this contrast more striking than in education policy."

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) announced today that they have endorsed Dr. Amy Acton for Governor, following a meeting and vote last night of OFT’s Executive Council, a representative assembly made up of member leaders from OFT local unions across Ohio. In advance of the endorsement vote, Dr. Acton addressed OFT Executive Council members and other OFT members at the union’s Local Leaders Conference in September and in a webinar held earlier this month.

“We are proud to endorse Dr. Amy Acton for Governor because she will put our children, families, and communities first by strengthening public education, higher education, and public services, and making life in Ohio more affordable,” said OFT President Melissa Cropper.

COLUMBUS — Today, a supermajority of Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) workers submitted signed union cards to Ohio’s State Employment Relations Board (SERB), initiating the union election process. Additionally, dozens of organizing committee members and union card signers delivered a short message to CML management this morning asking them to commit to remaining neutral during the union campaign. 

To our patrons and our community:

We are proud to publicly announce that hundreds of workers at Columbus Metropolitan Library are coming together to build our union. We do different jobs, and we work in different locations and departments across CML, but we are united in our pride for our library system and our dedication to serving our community.