Finally, some good news! This week, the bargaining units that represent full-time faculty and librarians at Miami University both reached tentative agreements (TAs) with the university administration. The collective bargaining agreements have to be approved by the board of trustees before taking effect.

The TAs are incredible achievements that represent many years of intensive organizing and negotiating. Not only were there economic gains made, but the agreements also contain important protections for academic freedom and job security, which are especially important as SB 1 looms.

Congratulations to the Faculty Alliance of Miami (FAM)!

OU Update: We want to take this opportunity to mention that Ohio University faculty are in the midst of their union election. We encourage all eligible OU faculty to mail those completed ballots ASAP. The vote count at the State Employment Relations Board (SERB) will take place on March 17. Union Yes!

What is the status of SB 1?

As we shared in our last email update, SB 1 passed the Ohio Senate on February 12, despite bipartisan opposition. The bill was officially introduced in the Ohio House on February 18, and was referred to the House Workforce and Higher Education Committee on February 26.

What is the timeline in the House?

The House of Representatives is still primarily focused on HB 96, the state operating budget bill. In fact, OCAAUP submitted testimony on HB 96 this week.

SB 1 is slated to be taken up as budget subcommittee deliberations conclude. We are anticipating that the first hearing on the bill (for sponsor testimony and possibly also for proponent testimony) could occur as early as next week.

We will send another message when we know the hearing schedule. There ended up being 999 opponent testimonies in the Senate, and we need to have a strong showing in the House, too.

Once hearings begin on SB 1 in the House, we believe it will be another expedited process, and that the House could pass it within a one or two-week time frame. This is why it is so critical to take actions over the next week. We need a lot of calls and emails into House members’ offices to express opposition.

Visit our SB 1 toolkit for links to our Action Network pages, as well as a list of State Representatives to target with phone calls and social media action.

What happens if the bill passes the Ohio House?

If SB 1 passes the Ohio House with no changes, the bill will head straight to the governor to be signed or vetoed. However, if there are any amendments adopted in the House, the Senate will have to concur on the changes or the bill will be sent to a conference committee so that the chambers can reach an agreement on the final version. Then the bill would be sent to the governor.

Unfortunately, the political realities we are facing suggest that SB 1 will pass the legislature in some form. This is why we have been encouraging messages to Gov. DeWine to ask him to veto the bill (link also available in our toolkit).

OCAAUP has continued to be active by having conversations with State Representatives and pushing specific amendments to the bill. We are exhausting all efforts to ameliorate the worst parts of the bill, but it is an uphill battle. Unfortunately, this is a bill driven by culture war politics instead of good policy.

Advocacy & Defense Fund

As you may have noticed in previous email messages, we have established a new fund to which AAUP members and anyone else who supports our efforts can donate. All of the money collected in this fund will be used to fight political attacks and fund potential legal challenges to SB 1.

You can make a secure donation online. Thank you for the generous contributions that have already been made! Please note: the Ohio Conference AAUP is a 501(c)(6) organization; as a result, donations are not tax deductible. 

On Tuesday, March 4, AAUP chapters across the state will engage in various activities to raise awareness about and push back on SB 1, “The Higher Education Destruction Act.” Look for information from your AAUP local to see how you can get involved.

We realize that some of you will be on spring break, but there will be actions you can take from the comfort of wherever you may be! OCAAUP will have a strong social media presence on Facebook, Bluesky, and X throughout the day: @OHaaup.

We also now have an SB 1 toolkit on our website. It contains information about the bill as well as links to contact members of the Ohio House of Representatives and Gov. DeWine.

Let’s work together and make our voices heard on March 4 to demonstrate strong statewide opposition to SB 1!

Tuesday’s Opponent Hearing
Once again, we broke an Ohio Senate record with the number of opponent testimonies that were submitted for Senate Bill 1! There were 837 opponent testimonies posted on the Senate Higher Education Committee website. These testimonies came from professors, students, parents, and other members of our communities who understand the damage that this bill will inflict.

If you submitted testimony, please ensure that the committee did, in fact, post it on their website. If you do not see yours posted, email Sen. Roegner’s office at roegner@ohiosenate.gov and ask that they post your testimony. It is a matter of public record, and we have already heard from a number of people that their testimonies were submitted on time but not posted.

Thank you to Prof. David Jackson from BGSU for giving our testimony. Understanding the political realities, we advocated that the committee adopt very specific amendments that would ameliorate some of the worst parts of the bill. We made it clear that the union-busting provisions and other attacks on professors are unacceptable, and that these changes to higher education will lead to vast instability.

At the beginning of the committee meeting, a substitute version of the bill was adopted. Most of the changes were low-level adjustments that do not get to the heart of the biggest issues with the bill. Perhaps the most significant change was an amendment that specified that public syllabi do not have to include locations or times of classes. While this is a step in the right direction, it certainly does not fully assuage the concern of how public syllabi could facilitate the intimidation and harassment of faculty, as well as stolen intellectual property.

Wednesday’s Committee and Floor Votes
In spite of the fact that there were 837+ opponent testimonies, hundreds of people who showed up to the Statehouse to protest, as well as tens of thousands of emails sent in opposition, the majority of senators completely ignored The People. At this point, we must be blunt: the hearing on Tuesday was held in bad faith. They “heard” the testimony, but they did not “listen.” They had the theatrics of democracy, but they never intended to make any changes to their politically-motivated legislation.

During the Wednesday Senate Higher Education Committee meeting, Democratic Senators Catherine Ingram and Casey Weinstein offered a series of amendments that mirrored our suggestions. Sen. Cirino, SB 1’s sponsor, initiated the motions to table each and every one of the amendments, and each was tabled along a party line vote of 5-2. This is particularly disappointing, given that we had met with Sen. Cirino two weeks prior, who indicated he was open to amendments. Clearly, that was not true, as the senator failed to correspond with us about the amendments and then led the effort to defeat them.

Eventually, SB 1 cleared the committee along the 5-2 party lines, and was sent to the Senate floor for a full vote by the chamber. After a series of lengthy and impassioned speeches (including ones that disparaged students and faculty), as well as additional unsuccessful attempts to amend the bill, SB 1 passed the Senate by a vote of 21-11. All 9 Democrats, plus Republican Senators Blessing and Patton, voted against the bill. One Republican senator was absent.

While the end result is unsurprising, it is still incredibly disappointing to see such a disingenuous and undemocratic process lead to this point. The reality is that the Republican majority knows that this is indeed The Higher Education Destruction Act. While they may say things like “reform” and “more free speech,” their true intent is to undermine public higher education. It’s part of the age-old playbook: defund, blame workers, then privatize. This isn’t just about “our issues.” This is about defending and preserving public higher education.

What happens next
The bill has now been sent to the Ohio House of Representatives. It will be referred to the House Workforce and Higher Education Committee, which is chaired by the same state representative as the previous legislative session: Rep. Tom Young. Reportedly, Young already has said he will not entertain amendments to the bill. His office still has not responded to our request for a meeting.

It is unclear when exactly the House committee will start hearings on SB 1. Because state budget deliberations have begun in the House, and this committee is serving as the budget subcommittee on higher education, the committee may defer taking up SB 1 until March. Whenever the hearings do start, we expect it to be another fast process.

We are working closely with the Ranking Democrat on the committee: Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio. We are fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and thoughtful state representative to work with on these matters. Rep. Piccolantonio thoroughly understands the issues and is passionate about defending labor rights.

We are working on SB 1 day and night. We are doing everything in our power to engage lawmakers, keep members informed, talk to the media, and work with our valuable coalition partners in labor and education to either stop this bill or mitigate the worst aspects. We will continue to update you as the process unfolds, and as we have more information about other legislation that will impact our members. Stay tuned.

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Other ways to take action.

There are a number of other ways that you can help us fight the legislation:

1) E-mail House members.

Our easy online form above has been updated to reflect where we are now in the legislative process, and messages will be sent to House members only. We are asking state representatives to reject the bill or at least work with stakeholder groups on changes. Over 55,000 emails have been sent already. Let’s keep up the pressure!

2) E-mail Gov. DeWine

Due to the fast-track nature of the bill, we have to put pressure on the governor now to veto the bill. This link also has been updated to reflect the current situation. Gov. DeWine has been less inclined than other Republicans to buy into culture war politics, and we believe he understands the importance of a higher education system that maintains integrity.

3) Talk to your state representative.

Regardless of party affiliation, now is the time to reach out to your state representative. They need to hear from their constituents that SB 1 will harm higher education and its economic impact on Ohio. Visit https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/ to find your legislators.

4) Write an op-ed.

Consider writing an op-ed to your local newspaper about the ways that this bill will hurt your institutions. You can also point out that the legislators who are pushing this bill once again have failed to listen to the overwhelming opposition from stakeholder groups and the broader public.

The Columbus Dispatch published this op-ed from the president of our Ohio State chapter.

5) Donate to our new “Advocacy & Defense Fund.”

THANK YOU to our generous members who already have made critical donations! OCAAUP is a small organization with one staff member that has kept dues as low as possible for our chapters and members. The challenges we face are going to require more resources, and 100% of the money donated to this fund will be used to fight political attacks and/or future legal challenges. ANY amount is welcome and appreciated. Please note: the Ohio Conference AAUP is a 501(c)(6) organization; as a result, donations are not tax deductible. 

What to expect this week

Today (Tuesday, 2/11), the Ohio Senate Higher Education Committee is holding a hearing for all testimony on SB 1, the new iteration of last session’s SB 83–what has been dubbed “The Higher Education Destruction Act.”

The hearing will be dominated by an anticipated large volume of opponent testimonies. Despite the fact that the Senate Republicans know there is massive opposition to this bill, they are only giving opponents this one opportunity to make their voices heard.

What is more appalling, however, is that the Republican majority on the committee is slated to vote SB 1 out of committee tomorrow morning (Wednesday, 2/12), which very likely means that the bill will be brought to the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon to be passed by the full chamber.

Let’s be clear: the Senate committee will hear hours of opponent testimony today, likely ignore the multitude of valid concerns raised by those who are fighting for public higher education, and move forward with a vote tomorrow.

We are asking the Senate to slow down their process to allow more time for stakeholder input. As we reference in our testimony, OCAAUP has submitted a number of amendments to the bill’s sponsor and full committee that would assuage our most serious concerns with this bill.

What you can do

First, we want to thank the numerous AAUP members who submitted testimony for today’s hearing, many of whom will be showing up in person to the Statehouse this afternoon. If you can’t be there, you can watch the hearing live on The Ohio Channel beginning at 2:00 pm. Look for the live stream of the Senate Higher Education Committee.

There are two opportunities on Wednesday, February 12 to show up to the Statehouse and send a message to lawmakers that we’re watching:

1) The Senate Higher Education Committee vote on SB 1 at 9:00 am in the South Hearing Room (Statehouse, 2nd floor); and

2) Senate session (Senate chambers) at 1:30 pm, where it is expected SB 1 will be brought to the floor for a vote.

We know that most of you can’t make it to Columbus, but you can still help by making phone calls to the Senate Republican offices today and tomorrow. Below is a sample script, followed by the list of senators and their office numbers.

Sample script: Hello, [name and other identifying info, if you choose] I’m calling to let the senator know that I oppose Senate Bill 1. This bill is the epitome of big-government overreach, and it will destabilize higher education in Ohio. At the very least, it needs more thorough consideration and stakeholder input. If the bill is voted on this week, I strongly encourage the senator to vote no.

List of senators to call:

Senate President Rob McColley: (614) 466-8150

Higher Education Committee Chair Kristina Roegner: (614) 466-4823

Vice Chair and SB 1 Sponsor Jerry Cirino: (614) 644-7718

Committee Member Kyle Koehler: (614) 466-3780

Committee Member Jane Timken: (614) 466-0626

Committee Member Bill Reineke: (614) 466-8049

Nathan Manning: (614) 644-7613

Michele Reynolds: (614) 466-8064

Al Cutrona: (614) 466-8285

Mark Romanchuk: (614) 466-7505

George Lang: (614) 466-8072

Stephen Huffman: (614) 466-6247

Steve Wilson: (614) 466-9737

Susan Manchester: (614) 466-6344

Terry Johnson: (614) 466-8082

Shane Wilkin: (614) 466-8156

Tim Schaffer: (614) 466-8076

Brian Chavez: (614) 466-6508

Al Landis: (614) 466-5838

Sandra O’Brien: (614) 466-7182

Theresa Gavarone: (614) 466-8060

Andrew Brenner: (614) 466-8086

Thomas F. Patton: (614) 466-8056

Louis W. Blessing III: (614) 466-8068

Calling all of these offices is helpful, but if you have limited time, calling the first 9 on the list would be most productive.

We will send another message later this week recapping the events and sharing next steps.

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Other ways to take action.

There are a number of other ways that you can help us fight the legislation:

1) E-mail Senate and House members.

You can use our easy online form above, which will send messages to all state legislators asking them to vote no on the bills. We believe we have to contact all legislators right away given the quick timeline that is expected. More than 40,000 emails have been sent already. Let’s keep up the pressure!

2) E-mail Gov. DeWine

Due to the fast-track nature of the bills, we have to start asking the governor now to veto the bill. Gov. DeWine has been less inclined than other Republicans to buy into culture war politics, and we believe he understands the importance of a higher education system that maintains integrity.

3) Talk to your state legislators.

Talk to state legislators you know, and get to know the lawmakers who represent you, if you don’t already. Regardless of party affiliation, they need to hear from their constituents that SB 1/HB 6 will harm higher education and its economic impact on Ohio. Visit https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/ to find your legislators.

4) Write an op-ed.

Consider writing an op-ed to your local newspaper about the ways that this bill will hurt your institutions. You can also point out that the legislators who are pushing this bill once again have failed to listen to the overwhelming opposition from stakeholder groups and the broader public.

The Columbus Dispatch published this op-ed from the president of our Ohio State chapter.

5) Donate to our new “Advocacy & Defense Fund.”

THANK YOU to our generous members who already have made critical donations! OCAAUP is a small organization with one staff member that has kept dues as low as possible for our chapters and members. The challenges we face are going to require more resources, and 100% of the money donated to this fund will be used to fight political attacks and/or future legal challenges. ANY size donation is welcome and appreciated. Please note: the Ohio Conference AAUP is a 501(c)(6) organization; as a result, donations are not tax deductible.