Press

A collection of press clips featuring OFT members and OFT local unions. 

“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. 

“The Senators who voted to pass SB 1 may think that they’re targeting 'woke' professors, but the expansive nature of the bill means that they’re targeting every single student, professor, and staff member at Ohio’s public colleges and universities. They are so angry over their unproven theory that higher education is ideologically biased that they’re willing to take down our world-class system of public colleges and universities. Instead they should focus on the real issues affecting higher education in Ohio, like keeping tuition affordable and surviving tumultuous threats to federal scientific and health funding that schools rely on. As this bill moves to the Ohio House, we are urging representatives to either scrap this flawed bill or give serious consideration to amendments that will blunt the worst of the impacts.”

“Ohio voters from across the political spectrum sent a loud and clear message today that we believe in majority rule, we believe in ‘one person one vote,’ and we believe that these shared values are more important than what political party you’re in, what you look like, or where you live."

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. 

“As currently written, SB 1 will put Ohio’s world-class system of higher education at risk by stifling academic freedom, raising administrative costs, impeding recruitment and retention of talented faculty, and pushing more young adults out of Ohio,” said Melissa Cropper, OFT President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Ohio AFL-CIO. “The Senate can avert the worst of these risks by taking the time to consider amendments and make this bill better.”

Today, leaders from the All in For Ohio Kids coalition responded to the biennial budget passed by the Ohio General Assembly: “Ohio students deserve fully funded, high quality, local public schools that help them reach their fullest potential, and it is the responsibility of our state legislators to enact a system that achieves this."

COLUMBUS — Sherrod Brown is narrowly leading the 2026 U.S. Senate race in Ohio with a 3-point advantage over GOP incumbent Jon Husted, according to polling conducted by Hart Research on behalf of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. The survey of 800 likely voters found that Brown has double digit leads with independent voters, moderate voters, suburban voters, and women.