Earlier this month, the State Employment Relations Board (SERB) ruled on the composition of the proposed bargaining unit for Miami faculty.

The ruling contended that only the full-time tenured/tenure-track and full-time non-tenure-track faculty on continuous contracts were part of a “community of interest” and eligible to be in the same bargaining unit. The more than 800 faculty who are eligible will have the opportunity to vote for a union between April 18 and May 2. The vote count will occur at SERB on May 17.

Unfortunately, the other faculty that the Faculty Alliance of Miami (FAM) attempted to include in the bargaining unit–visiting assisting professors, librarians, and those who are 50% faculty and 50% staff–were excluded from the unit. Nevertheless, efforts already are underway to organize these faculty into separate bargaining units.

Congratulations to FAM for getting to this point! Faculty union organizing is a volunteer-led effort that takes years. We hope that all eligible Miami faculty will vote in favor of establishing the union to begin a new era of shared governance at Miami University!

On March 7, National AAUP sent information to all members regarding the tentative agreement that they have reached with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The agreement represents months of negotiations to establish a closer working relationship with the AFT. The AAUP already has been involved in joint unionizing campaigns with the AFT for many years.

To read the full text of the agreement, an overview, as well as FAQs and relevant financial information, visit: https://www.aaup.org/member-information-aaupaft-affiliation. You will need your member log-in information to view that page.

Under the proposed agreement, which must be ratified by delegates at the National AAUP Biennial Meeting in June in order to take effect, the Ohio Conference AAUP will remain as is. This is different from other states, where chapters will become members of the AFT state federation.

Here is what the overview document says about OCAAUP:

• All existing AAUP chapters in Ohio will retain their current state conference, and will not become part of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. The Ohio Conference of the AAUP and the OFT reserve the right to discuss a potential merger in the future.
• The OCAAUP and OFT will develop a shared services model, including but not limited to a fee-for-service arrangement between the two entities.
• The AAUP and the AFT commit to joint funding for a shared political organizing program in Ohio.
• Where possible, AFT and AAUP affiliates in Ohio will coordinate their statewide political endorsements.

Ohio collective bargaining chapters will continue to pay dues to the State Conference and do not have to pay anything separate to the OFT. Advocacy members also will continue to be part of OCAAUP. Any changes to the relationship between OCAAUP and OFT will have to be negotiated between and agreed to by both organizations.

For many years, OCAAUP and OFT have worked together on state lobbying efforts, and we look forward to continuing working even more closely together in the future should this agreement be ratified in June.

With Marty Kich assuming the presidency, it means that our long-time president, John McNay, Professor of History from the University of Cincinnati, now moves into the role of past president on the Ohio Conference board.

During his eight years as president, McNay testified dozens of times to the Ohio General Assembly. He has fought for more higher education funding, and fought against numerous proposals that would have imposed onerous mandates on faculty, and even taken away faculty collective bargaining rights.

In recognition of his lobbying efforts, McNay received the Al Sumberg Award from National AAUP in 2015.

He has helped start and build chapters all over the state, working with members to build faculty power and address issues at their colleges and universities.

Moreover, he has worked with other unions and allied organizations to form coalitions through which we have worked collectively on issues important to professors, students, and workers.

We want to take this opportunity to thank John McNay for his eight years of service as president. His contributions to the Conference and its chapters are immeasurable. He has been an unwavering advocate for faculty and higher education.

We are grateful that McNay will continue on the board as past president for one year, and beyond that, will remain engaged through committee work.

On September 1, Marty Kich, Professor of English from Wright State University, became the new president of the Ohio Conference AAUP. Prof. Kich was first elected to the Ohio Conference board in 2009 as an at-large representative, and since 2012, he has served as vice president. He has chaired the Communications, Organizing, Adjunct Faculty, Nominating, and Personnel Committees. In 2012-2013, he was largely responsible for the major overhaul of the Conference’s Code of Regulations to accommodate the transition from a 501(c)(3) to a 501(c)(6) and to enlarge the membership of the Board of Trustees. In addition, Kich served as president of the Wright State chapter from 2011 to 2019. Previous to that, he served one term as vice president and four terms as an at-large representative on the chapter’s executive committee. He has served the chapter as a member of its negotiating team, as editor of its newsletter, and as an assistant grievance officer, and he currently maintains the chapter’s website. On the national level, Kich served three terms as an at-large member of the Executive Committee of the Collective Bargaining Congress. He has co-edited the Academe Blog, has served on the editorial board of Academe, has guest-edited two issues of Academe, and has served as a frequent contact for national and regional media outlets. He has also served on the Committee for Teaching, Research, and Publication, on a number of nominating committees. Moreover, he has been honored with the Marilyn Sternberg Award from the National AAUP for activism on behalf of human rights, political advocacy, effective engagement in collective bargaining and defense of collective bargaining rights, and the promotion of the AAUP principles of academic freedom, shared governance, and tenure and the economic security of the professoriate. He has also received the William S. Tacey Award from the Association of State Conferences for outstanding and sustained service to a state conference. He has received the Trustees’ Award for Faculty Excellence from Wright State University for a sustained and balanced contribution to the teaching, research, and professional service mission of the university. A founding member of the Association for the University Regional Campuses of Ohio, he has received its Distinguished Service Award. And he has received the Lake Campus’ Outstanding Faculty Award and its awards for Outstanding Scholarship and Outstanding Service. We are fortunate to have Marty Kich’s experience and activism at the helm of the Conference!

HB 166: State Budget Bill

Last Thursday, April 11, OCAAUP President John McNay testified to the Ohio House Finance Subcommittee on Higher Education on House Bill 166, the biennial state budget bill.

In his testimony, McNay advocated for greater State Share of Instruction funding, encouraging the committee members to seek new revenue, if need be, in order to accomplish that. He applauded the infusion of money to the need-based Ohio College Opportunity Grant, but advised that the state still can — and should — do better.

In addition, McNay called attention to issues with College Credit Plus and the focus on “time to degree” as a cost-savings model. He also said institutions need to be more transparent with their budgets, since too much money is being spent on things peripheral to the academic mission.

Moreover, he suggested that the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) needs to have greater oversight of university leadership, since several of Ohio’s institutions have been mismanaged badly.

McNay pointed to this language in the budget regarding faculty workload, which we brought to your attention last week:

The boards of trustees of state institutions of higher education shall ensure that faculty members devote a proper and judicious part of their work week to the actual instruction of students. Total class credit hours of production per academic term per full-time faculty member is expected to meet the standards set forth in the budget data submitted by the Chancellor of Higher Education.

ODHE reached out to us last week to let us know that this language merely carried over from previous budget bills and has no discernible impact, so McNay asked the committee to remove the language to avoid further confusion.

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HB 88: FORUM Act / “Campus Free Speech”

Last Tuesday, April 9, Ohio State professor and OCAAUP member Lisa Voigt testified on House Bill 88, the “Forming Open and Robust University Minds” or FORUM Act, also called the “Campus Free Speech” bill.

Calling the bill unnecessary, Voigt stated in her testimony that the First Amendment already protects free speech at our colleges and universities, and that, while the AAUP shares the belief that no idea should be banned on campus, there is a difference between forbidding an idea and hosting a controversial speaker that could require heavy security.

Voigt also warned that, should this bill become law, it would lead to more bureaucracy and administration at our institutions.

We plan to testify against SB 40, which is the companion bill to HB 88 in the Ohio Senate, when that opportunity arises.

Many thanks to Professors McNay and Voigt for representing faculty in our state capital to relay the AAUP’s concerns and positions.

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Action Alert: Campus “Free Speech” Bills

If you haven’t already, please send messages to your state legislators asking them to reject these so-called “campus free speech” bills. More information and a link to easily contact your representative and senator below.

House Bill 88 and Senate Bill 40, both known as the “Forming Open and Robust University Minds” or FORUM Act are taken straight from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and Goldwater Institute model legislation playbooks.

Both bills would prohibit colleges and universities from having free speech zones, as well as force institutions to host any speaker that is invited to campus. It would allow anyone from the campus community or an invited speaker to sue the university for up to a year after what they feel was a free speech violation.

In addition, these bills would require institutions to widely publish free speech policies, make them part of student orientations, and make institutions report to the state the enforcement of these provisions and any violations of them.

HB 88 also would require institutions to adopt the following definition of “harassment:”

1. Conduct by an employee that requires an individual to submit to unwelcome activity in order to receive aid, benefit, or service; or

2. Unwelcome conduct that is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies an individual equal access to the individual’s education program or activity.

As we expressed in letters to members of the committees hearing these bills, the legislation is not necessary, as our institutions of higher education have done well balancing First Amendment interests with the safety and welfare of the campus community.

In addition, we believe these bills could make our institutions even more likely to become involved in highly politicized controversies, and are potentially very costly–neither of which is what our students and the taxpayers can possibly want our institutions to be distracted by or expending resources on.

Click here to send a message to your representative and senator expressing opposition to these bills.

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Summer AAUP Conferences

The National AAUP has two important events this summer: the Annual Conference and Summer Institute.

The Annual Conference is being held in Crystal City (just outside of Washington, DC) from June 12 through June 16. National AAUP is proposing major restructuring changes that will need to be approved by the membership.

In addition, this year’s Summer Institute — a series of workshops and trainings designed to empower faculty — will be held at Roosevelt University in Chicago from July 25 to July 28. A limited number of scholarships are being offered by OCAAUP to cover the registration (which includes lodging and most meals) and travel expenses. If you are interested in a scholarship, please e-mail sara@ocaaup.org.