Ohio’s public colleges and universities are under attack — again! First legislators passed SB 1, a new law that gives politicians unprecedented influence over what is taught and discussed on campus, bogs colleges and universities down in unfunded administrative regulations, forces the elimination of some majors programs, and severely weakens tenure and collective bargaining rights for faculty members. Now, they’re trying to make a bad situation even worse with HB 698.

The AFT PSRP leadership conference last month came chock-full of advice from activists on how to optimize campaigns, whether they focus on organizing, politics, a living wage or community service. PSRP co-chairs Carl Williams and Sarah Wofford led the proceedings. Williams is president of the Lawndale (Calif.) Federation of Classified Employees, a former school custodian and president of California’s classified members. Wofford is an accounting specialist for Rogue Community College and president of the Oregon School Employees Association. Eighteen AFT locals sent paraprofessionals and school-related personnel to Chicago April 10-12 for the conference.

As the Trump administration continues to attack higher education—cutting research grants, targeting free speech and restricting classroom materials—the AFT and the American Association of University Professors have unveiled a powerful new blueprint to restore and preserve higher education, just in time for the 2026 midterms.

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. 

When the president of Colorado WINS learned that the president of the United States might be targeting Denver next in his anti-immigration campaign of terror, she knew how she’d begin to mobilize. One simple thing Diane Byrne does is deck out her activists in matching T-shirts. Wearing union colors promotes team spirit and builds confidence, she says. The AFT Public Employees program and policy council, meeting in New York City Feb. 5-6, abounded with tips to help locals mobilize. PPC chair Gary Feist, president of North Dakota Public Employees, recommended finding members who can tell a personal story to draw media attention. With more media on the issue, he said, legislators will become more motivated to fix the problem.

Federal immigration actions are rapidly expanding, with deadly consequences. The killings of poet Renee Nicole Good and nurse Alex Pretti by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis have brought intense focus on the use of excessive force. An AFT webinar, co-hosted by AFT President Randi Weingarten and AFT Massachusetts President Jessica Tang on Jan. 28, featured experts on immigration and the law. It highlighted AFT resources and showcased how our locals are showing up to minimize fear and trauma.

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.

On her very first day of student teaching at Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hook, N.Y., Martha Strever pushed, pulled and pounded on the school’s door, which was locked. No one came. Where was everybody? It was, after all, the first day of school.

It turned out everybody was exactly where they were supposed to be: inside, having entered through the school’s front entrance. Strever had been knocking on a side door. Flustered but undeterred, she not only found her way inside, she also found her life’s calling.