Press

NEWARK, OHIO — On Friday, June 6, the United Faculty/Central Ohio Technical College (UF/COTC) filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge over COTC’s refusal to sign a contract agreement and their insistence that the union return to the bargaining table and accept concessions. The contract agreement became binding after it was ratified by the union and the COTC Board failed to act within the time limit that is set in Ohio law. The administration’s refusal to sign the contract signals that they have no intention of following the contract.

“Union members negotiated our contract in good faith, reached an agreement with our college, and overwhelmingly ratified the agreement,” said Martin Schmerr, a Biology Professor at COTC and President of UF/COTC. “Ohio law is clear. Since we ratified the contract and our administration didn’t vote on ratification within the allotted time, our contract is officially approved. It’s outrageous that our Board is ignoring the law and acting as if we’re still in negotiations. It’s time for the Board to sign the contract so we can move forward together.”

Statement from the All in For Ohio Kids coalition: Four years ago, lawmakers promised to fully implement the Fair School Funding Plan in the 2026-27 budget. Since then, we have been waiting for state legislators to make good on their commitment, so all Ohio children – regardless of wealth, race, ability or background – can attend a public school that provides them with everything they need to succeed.

Unlike the House budget, the Senate sub bill retains more of the elements of the Fair School Funding Plan, yet when taken as a whole, it underfunds schools, increases uncertainty for districts, and makes it harder for districts to pass levies necessary to fill the gaps created by the continued shortchanging of education by the state.

OU flouts overwhelming faculty union majority and SERB decision with frivolous appeal.

ATHENS, OH — Members of the United Academics of Ohio University (UAOU) are undeterred by Ohio University’s (OU) appeal of their unsuccessful objection to certification of the faculty union. OU’s action ignoring the will of the majority of their faculty threatens to divide the university community at a time when unity is needed to push back on state and federal attacks on the academic and financial independence of universities and colleges. 

Leaders representing rural, suburban, small town, and big city school districts across Ohio are calling on the Ohio General Assembly to ensure all children can attend a public school that meets their needs and prepares them for success regardless of their ability or background.

Across the state – from Medina County to Big Walnut to Cincinnati – districts have worked with community members to organize informational town halls about fair school funding in the state budget. So far, more than 230 school board members have signed on to the All in For Ohio Kids (AOK) letter asking the General Assembly to fully implement and update the Fair School Funding Plan in the 2026-27 State Budget. Ohioans, including school district superintendents and treasurers, showed up in large numbers to testify before the Senate Education Committee earlier this month, and many were forced to wait in an overflow seating room.

ATHENS, OH — Members of the United Academics of Ohio University (UAOU) responded to Ohio University’s (OU) objection to their union certification, by stating that they are undeterred and will continue preparing for eventual contract negotiations with the University.

“We're proud of what we've accomplished by working together as faculty to build a union, and grateful for the support we've gotten from students and community members,” said John O’Keefe, an Associate Professor of History at Ohio University's Chillicothe campus. “The university is still trying to delay this process based on claims that haven't convinced the State Employment Relations Board, but we are ready to sit down and start negotiating a contract that will improve faculty working conditions, and therefore student learning conditions.”

“Michael Harkness and Chad Smith have pledged to work with the current Board majority to continue improving transparency and accountability at STRS and to continue stabilizing the fund’s financial conditions,” said OFT President Melissa Cropper. “These ongoing efforts, spearheaded by Board members that OFT has endorsed in past elections, has allowed STRS to begin restoring benefits by providing cost of living adjustments to retirees and lowering the years of service requirement for contributing members.”

"The House budget throws the Fair School Funding Plan out the window, pulling the rug out from students and from districts that need a reliable source of funding to make long term plans. While Rep. Stewart claims that the state can’t afford full and fair school funding, the House budget proposal would direct more public dollars toward a new voucher for non-chartered, private schools which follow practically no state guidelines on student safety or academics."

“Despite clear evidence supporting the safety and effectiveness of the MMR vaccine, too many parents are still opting out—leaving their children and entire communities vulnerable to preventable diseases,” said Rick Lucas, BSN, RN, CCRN, President and Executive Director of the Ohio Nurses Association. “This outbreak is a stark reminder that declining vaccination rates have real and dangerous consequences. Public health depends on all of us doing our part to protect one another.”

Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, adds, “Every student deserves a safe learning environment when they go to school. Overwhelming evidence shows that vaccination against measles is safe and effective, while the risks of not receiving the vaccine include death or lifelong health impacts.”

ATHENS, OHIO—The fight for job security, protected faculty voice, shared governance, and against low and stagnant wages at Ohio University hits a new milestone as nearly 800 Ohio University faculty members have the right to collectively bargain today after the State Employment Labor Relations Board certified that an overwhelming majority of faculty voted yes, 453 to 189.

Members of the United Academics of Ohio University join the more than 1.8 million members of the AFT across the country and the faculty at 12 unionized campuses across Ohio who are members of the AFT and the American Association of University Professors. The AFT is the largest higher education union in the country.

“SB 1/HB 6 is a slow motion wrecking ball aimed at Ohio’s public colleges and universities. It will strip faculty of their collective bargaining rights, demolish bedrock principles of academic freedom, overload administration with unfunded mandates, and put politicians in charge of what can be taught and discussed. This will drive talented faculty, staff, and students out of Ohio, lower the quality of research and education, and erode the prestige and reputation of some of the finest public universities in the country."