Ohio University Faculty Takes Big Step Toward Unionization
Ohio University faculty are barreling full-steam ahead toward forming a union, organizers announced at a rally on College Green last Tuesday.
“Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions,” goes the campaign’s slogan, echoed many times by faculty members across departments and in chants at the rally.
“This unionization effort is about improving the educational quality of this institution,” said assistant communications studies professor Matt deTar at the rally.
According to American Federation of Teachers organizer Jason Butler, close to 70% of eligible full-time faculty across all OU campuses signed cards to file for a union election with the State Employee Relations Board. However, OU could choose to recognize the union voluntarily.
The union would be established through an association of the AFT and American Association of University Professors. It would represent all nonsupervisory tenure track, non-tenure track and instructional faculty across OU campuses, said Butler.
Tuesday’s announcement represented the culmination of many years of faculty organization around issues such as pay, staffing cuts and workloads, multiple faculty members told the Independent.