Pension Reform Bills Pass General Assembly

On September 12, the Ohio House of Representatives passed all five pension reform bills, including Senate Bill 342, which contained the changes to the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS).  The Ohio Senate concurred on the technical changes made to the bills, which means the legislation has now been sent to the Governor for his signature. We expect that the reforms will go into effect on January 7, 2013. The major reforms, which we have reported to you in previous communications, are reiterated below. STRS Changes in SB 342: *Increase in member contributions effective July 1, 2013  Member contributions would increase by 4%, phased in 1% per year beginning July 1, 2013, through July 1, 2016. Members currently contribute 10%; this would take total member contributions to 14% once fully phased in.   *Change in eligibility for retirement, effective Aug. 1, 2015  Service credit requirements for retirement with an unreduced benefit would increase to 35 years of service by Aug 1, 2023, and a minimum age 60 requirement would be added beginning Aug. 1, 2026. Members may still also retire at age 65 with a minimum of five years of service credit.   The service credit requirement for an actuarially reduced benefit would be phased in beginning Aug. 1, 2015, gradually increasing to 30 years of service by Aug. 1, 2023. Members may also still retire at a minimum age 60 with five years of service, but the benefit would be actuarially reduced beginning Aug. 1, 2015.   *Increase in final average salary (FAS) years effective Aug. 1, 2015  FAS calculation would be based on the five highest years of earnings instead of three.   *Changes to the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), effective in fiscal year 2013   All retirees as of July 1, 2013, would not receive a COLA increase on their next anniversary; effective July 1, 2014, the COLA would be 2%. Members retiring Aug. 1, 2013, or later would also receive a 2% COLA, but it would not begin until 60 months after the date of retirement.   *Change in benefit formula, effective Aug. 1, 2015  The new formula would be 2.2% for all years of service. Members who are eligible to retire on July 1, 2015, would maintain retirement eligibility, and the benefit would be the greater of the benefit calculated under the new benefit formula or the benefit the member could have received had the member retired on July 1, 2015.  We understand that this plan is not particularly palatable, but it was the best option given a set of extremely difficult circumstances, including mandates from Gov. Kasich that a reform plan could not include any additional employer contributions and that there had to be a 30-year solvency period. We must keep in mind that the alternative was potentially losing the defined benefit option altogether. This Year It’s YES on ISSUE 2 So much for recycling! It’s time to take off last year’s bumper stickers, because this November, we are voting YES on ISSUE 2! Issue 2 is the Voters First constitutional amendment to change Ohio’s redistricting system. By voting YES on 2, you will be voting to restore fairness to Ohio’s electoral system.  The current redistricting system is rigged in favor of the party in power and special interests. Politicians get to draw their own district lines and insulate themselves from having to be accountable to the people. This is why we see divisive legislation like SB 5; and unless we fundamentally change the system, we will see other anti-union and anti-education bills be put forth in the legislature. Please visit the “YES on ISSUE 2 Toolkit” on our website for more information, including printable flyers and talking points.   Attend the CBC Midwest Regional Meeting in Dearborn, MI, Saturday, October 13    The AAUP-CBC will be holding a midwest regional meeting on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at The Dearborn Inn, Dearborn, Michigan. All members of the AAUP are encouraged to attend.As the meeting is scheduled three weeks prior to the 2012 elections, emphasis will be placed on strategies that members can take to assist candidates who support higher education issues.Mark Brewer, Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, will be the luncheon speaker. The meeting will also include successful bargaining strategies and recent negotiation gains throughout the Midwest.  The full program can be found by clicking here.Reservations at The Dearborn Inn should be made immediately to take advantage of the special meeting rate. Cut off date for that rate is September 24, 2012. Please follow the following link: The Dearborn Inn reservations.The AAUP will be sending out a registration notice in the near future.

Sincerely,  Ohio Conference AAUP Communications Committee

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:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dFJRR1BYYVRoYmlYQmd3OVBCOXRtRGc6MQ.

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

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! 

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.