| Ohio Federation of Teachers, AFT, AFL-CIO

KIPP Columbus Educators Win Union Vote

COLUMBUS — Today, a strong majority of educators at KIPP Columbus voted to form their union, KIPP Columbus ACTS (Alliance for Charter Teachers & Staff) in a secret ballot election administered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The vote followed a months-long union busting campaign by KIPP Columbus’s administration. The union includes approximately 130 teachers, intervention specialists, social workers, teacher fellows, student life coordinators, and paraprofessionals who work at the four schools on the KIPP Columbus campus (Primary, Elementary, Middle, and High). MORE

In defense of public education

Randi Weingarten and NYC teacher Tamara Simpson

Attacks on public education in America by extremists and culture-war peddling politicians have reached new heights (“lows” may be more apt), but they are not new. The difference today is that the attacks are intended not just to undermine public education but to destroy it.

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. MORE

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.

Educators and Staff at KIPP Columbus Charter School Petition for Union Recognition

Columbus, OH — Today, teachers and staff at the KIPP Columbus charter school called on their superintendent and board of directors to voluntarily recognize their union after they presented signed union cards from an overwhelming majority of teachers, paraprofessionals, intervention specialists, social workers, and student life coordinators. The organizing campaign is led by educators from all four schools (Primary, Elementary, Middle, and High) at the KIPP Columbus campus. MORE

Grandview Heights Public Library Employees Launch Union Campaign

GRANDVIEW HEIGHTS, OH — Today, staff at Grandview Heights Public Library (GHPL) called on their Director and Board of Trustees to voluntarily recognize their union. Copies of signed union cards from an overwhelming majority of library employees were delivered to management, while the originals were filed with the State Employee Relations Board (SERB) to request voluntary recognition of the union. MORE

OFT President Cropper: HB 99 Makes Ohio Schools Less Safe

“We are disappointed that Governor DeWine signed HB 99 into law despite widespread concern from educators, parents, and public safety professionals. Allowing more guns in our schools, without the necessary training to ensure those guns are kept secure and are handled safely, will make our schools more dangerous and increase the likelihood that Ohio students, teachers, and school staff will be harmed. Similarly, the new law that allows permitless concealed carry, will also make our communities less safe." MORE

Frontline Client-Facing Workers at Equitas Health Take Steps to Form Union

COLUMBUS — Today, frontline client-facing employees at Equitas Health, called on their management to voluntarily recognize their union after they presented signed union cards from a supermajority of staff who work in related job categories. The proposed bargaining unit covers approximately 150 social workers, counselors, therapists, advocates, case managers, and other employees who work in Equitas Health offices across Ohio. MORE

Resources on Social Emotional Learning

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an aspect of a child’s education that is integral in supporting academic success. Though Ohio has developed a set of SEL standards, SEL is not a subject like math, reading, history, or science. While it may be addressed directly, SEL skills can be infused throughout the instructional day. The five social emotional competencies addressed are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and making responsible decisions. MORE

Educators at Menlo Park Academy Win Union Vote!

CLEVELAND, OH — Educators at Menlo Park Academy, a charter school in Cleveland that serves gifted students, won their union election today after the official vote count was tallied by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). They are the ninth charter school to form a union with the Cleveland Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (Cleveland ACTS), a local union that is affiliated with the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). MORE

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