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.

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.

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. 

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.