We are continuing to see faculty be attacked in various forms across the country. The latest comes out of Wayne State University in Michigan, where their administration is attempting in earnest to eliminate tenure. The Michigan Conference AAUP is circulating a petition as part of their fight against this proposed measure. Please sign the petition and circulate it among your own networks as you see appropriate:
Voters First Qualifies for Nov. Ballot; Help Preserve Tenure at Wayne State
Sign a Petition to Preserve Tenure
We are continuing to see attacks on faculty in various forms across the country. The latest comes out of Wayne State University in Michigan, where the administration is attempting in earnest to eliminate tenure. The Michigan Conference AAUP is circulating a petition as part of their fight against this proposed measure. Attacks on tenure are nothing new to our profession. This attack is, however, as real as it gets and bad ideas have legs. If successful at Wayne State, we’ll all be visited by similar proposals on our campuses soon. Please click on the link below and sign the petition to show your support for tenure and the Wayne State University faculty. Preserve Tenure at Wayne State University Petition Secretary of State Certifies Proposed Redistricting Constitutional Amendment for November 2012 Election Last evening, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted certified the Voters First constitutional amendment for the November 6, 2012 ballot. If this amendment is approved by voters, it will change a partisan system of gerrymandering that has existed in the state for nearly half a century. The current process for drawing legislative district boundaries in Ohio allows the party with control of redistricting, Republicans or Democrats, to draw those lines in ways that protect its incumbent officeholders and advance its own interests. Partisan redistricting in Ohio has negative consequences, including uncompetitive legislative elections, over-representation of the dominant party in the legislature, and greater polarization in state government. Ohio is only one of two states that has a redistricting board comprised entirely of elected officials. If voters approve the amendment in November, Ohio will join eleven other states, including California, Colorado, Missouri, and Washington, that have either a bipartisan or nonpartisan redistricting commission. Ohio Conference AAUP members must be commended for their role in helping this amendment qualify for the ballot. Once again, our members from across the state stepped up to circulate and sign petitions. Voters First could not have made it this far without us. But our work isn’t over yet. Over the next three months, we will do our part in educating our members and the public about the importance of the amendment. There are groups that oppose this good government initiative, and will spend a lot of money to defeat it, because they want to maintain business as usual in Ohio politics. This won’t be an easy fight, but changing Ohio government forever is worth the effort! |
Sincerely, Ohio Conference AAUP Communications Committee |
Is Right-to-Work-FOR-LESS Coming to Ohio?
February 06, 2012
Is Right-to-Work-for-Less Coming to Ohio?
On February 1, the one-year anniversary of the introduction of Ohio Senate Bill 5, two major events occurred: the State of Indiana enacted a right-to-work law; and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine certified petition language that will allow Tea Party extremists to gather signatures to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would make Ohio a right-to-work state.
The coalition behind the Ohio ballot measure includes Chris Littleton of the Ohio Liberty Council; Maurice Thompson of the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law; and Bryan Williams of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Ohio.
The next step for this coalition to achieve ballot status is to go to the Ohio Ballot Board to ensure it is not violating the “single-subject” rule. Once it passes that hurdle, the group can begin the process of collecting the necessary signatures.
The signature thresholds for a constitutional amendment are higher than that of a legislative repeal effort. The coalition will have to gather 10 percent of voter signatures from the last gubernatorial election, with five percent coming from 44 of the 88 Ohio counties.
If the coalition successfully submits the requisite number of valid signatures by July 4 (125 days before the general election), the amendment will appear on this November’s ballot. If the signatures are submitted later, the amendment will not be on the ballot until 2013.
It is widely believed that the Ohio Republican Party does not want this initiative on the November ballot, fearing that it will draw out labor to the polls and hurt the Republican Presidential nominee’s chances of winning Ohio, a key battleground state in the race to the White House. However, the coalition sponsoring the initiative is not working with, or responsive to, the Republican Party.
Why is right-to-work often called right-to-work-for-less and right-to-freeload?
Despite the name, right-to-work does not guarantee any rights. In fact, by weakening unions and collective bargaining, it destroys the best job security protection that exists: the union contract. Meanwhile, it allows workers to pay nothing while receiving all of the benefits of union membership.
Right-to-work laws say unions must represent all eligible employees, whether they pay dues or not. This forces unions to use their time and members’ dues money to provide union benefits to free riders who are not willing to pay their fair share.
The average worker in a right-to-work state makes about $5,333 a year less than workers in other states ($35,500 compared with $30,167). Weekly wages are $72 greater in free-bargaining states than in right-to-work states ($621 versus $549). Working families in states without right-to-work laws have higher wages and benefit from healthier tax bases that improve their quality of life.
Proponents of right-to-work claim that it fosters an environment conducive to job creation; yet, as of December 2011, six of the 10 states with the highest unemployment rates were right-to-work states.
Instead, we find that right-to-work states have lower wages for workers, higher poverty and infant mortality rates, less access to healthcare, and poorer education systems. Consequently, making Ohio a right-to-work-for-less state would have far-reaching implications, and is not simply a “union issue.”
The Ohio Conference AAUP will continue to update you on this issue as it unfolds.
Register Now for the
Ohio Conference Annual Meeting!
The Ohio Conference AAUP will host its Annual Meeting on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14 at the Columbus Marriott Northwest. Please note that this is a different location from previous years.
The Annual Meeting is a unique opportunity for Ohio AAUP members to gather, share information, and determine the direction and policies of the organization.
This year’s meeting will feature AAUP member and Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, as well as a workshop on how AAUP Chapters can legally be involved in the 2012 elections.
The agenda, registration form, and hotel information can be found on our website at www.ocaaup.org/annualmeeting.
The registration deadline is April 2, and hotel reservations must be made by March 23 in order to receive the block room rate.
Mark your calendars and register today!
Annual Meeting Details & Candidates for Board of Trustees Announced
Full Details Released for the
Ohio Conference Annual Meeting
February 03, 2012
The Ohio Conference AAUP will host its Annual Meeting on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14 at the Columbus Marriott Northwest. Please note that this is a different location from previous years.
The Annual Meeting is a unique opportunity for Ohio AAUP members to gather, share information, and determine the direction and policies of the organization.
The agenda, registration form, and hotel information can be found on our website at www.ocaaup.org/annualmeeting.
The registration deadline is April 2, and hotel reservations must be made by March 23 in order to receive the block room rate.
Mark your calendars and register today!
Nominations for Trustee Elections Closed;
Candidates Announced
Nominations for the 2012 Ohio Conference Board of Trustees elections are now closed. The Ohio Conference Nominations Committee is pleased to announce the following candidates for the positions up for election this year:
President
John Cuppoletti, University of Cincinnati
John McNay, University of Cincinnati
Secretary
Clayton Rosati, Bowling Green State University
At-Large Member – Private Institutions
Bob Kolesar, John Carroll University
Chair of Committee on Organizing
Rudy Fichtenbaum, Wright State University
Chair of Committee on Two-Year Institutions
Heather Howley, University of Akron, Wayne College
Chair of Committee on Private Institutions
Nancy Bertaux, Xavier University
Coming soon to the OCAAUP website will be a statement from each candidate and complete information on how and when voting will occur.
Annual Meeting Details & Candidates for Board of Trustees Announced
Full Details Released for the
Ohio Conference Annual Meeting
February 03, 2012
The Ohio Conference AAUP will host its Annual Meeting on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14 at the Columbus Marriott Northwest. Please note that this is a different location from previous years.
The Annual Meeting is a unique opportunity for Ohio AAUP members to gather, share information, and determine the direction and policies of the organization.
The agenda, registration form, and hotel information can be found on our website at www.ocaaup.org/annualmeeting.
The registration deadline is April 2, and hotel reservations must be made by March 23 in order to receive the block room rate.
Mark your calendars and register today!
Nominations for Trustee Elections Closed;
Candidates Announced
Nominations for the 2012 Ohio Conference Board of Trustees elections are now closed. The Ohio Conference Nominations Committee is pleased to announce the following candidates for the positions up for election this year:
President
John Cuppoletti, University of Cincinnati
John McNay, University of Cincinnati
Secretary
Clayton Rosati, Bowling Green State University
At-Large Member – Private Institutions
Bob Kolesar, John Carroll University
Chair of Committee on Organizing
Rudy Fichtenbaum, Wright State University
Chair of Committee on Two-Year Institutions
Heather Howley, University of Akron, Wayne College
Chair of Committee on Private Institutions
Nancy Bertaux, Xavier University
Coming soon to the OCAAUP website will be a statement from each candidate and complete information on how and when voting will occur.