Press

COLUMBUS — Members of the Ohio Education Association (OEA), the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT), and the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors (OCAAUP) spoke today at a virtual mock hearing on House Bill 719, which would reverse the legislature’s unconstitutional move to strip educators of their rightful voice on the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Board by eliminating most elected Board positions and replacing them with political appointees.

Educators took the initiative to organize a mock hearing on HB 719 after the Ohio General Assembly went into recess on June 10 without holding a hearing allowing proponents of the bill to testify. All Ohio legislators were invited to join and hear the testimony that educators would have shared in the House Public Insurance and Pensions Committee, had they been given the opportunity.

COLUMBUS— OFT President Melissa Cropper released the following statement on Senator Jerry Cirino’s press conference on the one-year anniversary of SB 1’s implementation: “Jerry Cirino is a bully whose comments should be beneath the dignity of the Ohio Senate. Last year, he threatened to pull funding from school districts that testified about school funding. Earlier this month, he got a journalist arrested for sending him text messages. Now, he’s calling out individuals by name who had the temerity to testify against his biggest priority bill, which is supposed to be teaching civic literacy…"

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.