House Bill 48, known as the “guns everywhere” bill, passed the Ohio Senate on Wednesday, December 7 and is being sent to Gov. John Kasich for his signature.

Please call and e-mail Gov. Kasich asking him to veto HB 48:

Phone: (614) 466-3555

Click here to send an e-mail.

HB 48 would reduce the offense for unauthorized carrying of a concealed handgun on the premises of an institution of higher education from a felony to a minor misdemeanor, if the offender produces a valid conceal/carry license within ten days of arrest. This is the equivalent of a first time speeding ticket or failure to register a dog.

The bill also would allow Ohio colleges and universities to develop a policy for allowing conceal/carry of handguns on campus and grant institutions immunity from liability caused by a conceal/carry licensee bringing a gun on to campus.

Gov. Kasich has a mixed record on gun control issues. While it may be unlikely, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Gov. Kasich could veto HB 48. Please contact Gov. Kasich right away.

*Note: We understand that not every member of our association opposes this legislation or agrees with the position statements we have passed on the issue. However, just like everything the Conference decides to support or oppose, this matter has gone through a rigorous discussion and democratic process that involved our state leadership and membership. 

Tell Senators: NO on HB 48

House Bill 48, known as the “guns everywhere” bill, is scheduled for hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Ohio Senate’s Government Oversight and Reform Committee. The bill could be passed out of committee and sent to the Senate floor for a vote on Wednesday. 

HB 48 would reduce the offense for unauthorized carrying of a concealed handgun on the premises of an institution of higher education from a felony to a minor misdemeanor, if the offender produces a valid conceal/carry license within 10 days of arrest. This is the equivalent of a first time speeding ticket or failure to register a dog.

The bill also would allow Ohio colleges and universities to develop a policy for allowing conceal/carry of handguns on campus and grant institutions immunity from liability caused by a conceal/carry licensee bringing a gun on to campus.

Here’s what you can do to help:

1) Call the offices of the Republican members of the Senate Committee and ask them to vote NO on HB 48. You may also click on their names below and send e-mails through their contact forms. Phone calls are more effective, though.

• Chairman Bill Coley: (614) 466-8072
• Bill Seitz: (614) 466-8068
• Troy Balderson: (614) 466-8076
• Dave Burke: (614) 466-8049
• Kris Jordan: (614) 466-8086
• Frank LaRose: (614) 466-4823
• Larry Obhof: (614) 466-7505
• Tom Patton: (614) 466-8056
• Bob Peterson: (614) 466-8156

2) Contact the State Senator that represents you — either by phone or by using our online form — to tell them you oppose HB 48.

–Click here to find your Senator’s phone number.
–Click here to use our online form to send a message to your Senator.

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More information on this issue:

The Ohio Conference AAUP consistently has opposed any measures that would open the door for conceal/carry on campuses. At our 2015 Annual Meeting, the membership unanimously approved the following resolution:

Resolution #3 – Opposition to House Bill 48

Whereas the Ohio Conference AAUP has a commitment to the safety and welfare of its members and their students, and to the educational missions of its members’ institutions;

Whereas Ohio House Bill 48 would open the door for conceal/carry permit holders to carry their weapons onto public and private college campuses;

Whereas the National AAUP passed a resolution in 2008 which stated:

College and universities closely control firearms and prohibit conceals guns on their campuses because they regard the presence of weapons as incompatible with their educational missions. The Ninety-fourth Annual Meeting of the American Association of University Professors endorses the reliance of colleges and universities on trained and equipped professional law-enforcement personnel to respond to emergency incidents. We call upon state legislative bodies to refrain from interfering with decisions that are properly the responsibility of the academic community.

Be it resolved that the Ohio Conference AAUP opposes Ohio House Bill 48 and other efforts that would allow firearms to be carried onto college campuses. 

*Note: We understand that not every member of our association opposes this legislation or agrees with the position statements we have passed on the issue. However, just like everything the Conference decides to support or oppose, this matter has gone through a rigorous discussion and democratic process that involved our state leadership and membership. 

Deadlines Approaching for 2016 Annual Meeting

OCAAUP’s 66th Annual Meeting will be held November 4-5, 2016 at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel. 

Join us for discussion about what is occurring on Ohio campuses, hear about OCAAUP’s activities and accomplishments over the last year, and network with colleagues from across the state.

This year’s keynote luncheon address, “All That Glitters is Not Gold: A Closer Look at Public Hedge Fund Investments,” will be given by Elizabeth Parisian of Hedge Clippers.

Hedge Clippers is a group that works to expose public investments in hedge funds, which often charge higher fees and produce lower returns than index funds. In addition, hedge fund billionaires frequently use their profits to fund anti-worker initiatives. Hedge Clippers brings attention to these issues in order to encourage public entities (including pension funds and university endowments) to divest from hedge funds. 

You may register online via this event registration page. The complete agenda can be found here. 

Please note that in order to get the significantly discounted block room rate, hotel reservations must be made by October 4. However, registrations will be accepted through October 26. 

Registration is only $25. All attendees will receive an Ohio AAUP t-shirt. We hope to see you in November! 

Notice of Proposed Changes to Code of Regulations

During the business portion of the Annual Meeting, delegates will be asked to consider changes to OCAAUP’s Code of Regulations – what we call our constitution and by-laws. 

The changes would affect Article VIII of the Code, which is the section on Standing Committees. You can view the proposed changes via this link. As you will see, the proposal is primarily a “clean-up” of that section, which is intended to better reflect how the Conference functions and provide more flexibility. 

A note about voting rights at the Annual Meeting:

Per Article VI of the Code of Regulations: 

With the exception of elections, voting shall be by delegates of the AAUP chapters in the State of Ohio present at the Conference meeting. Chapters with 7-150 members shall have one vote; chapters with 151 to 300 members shall have two votes; and chapters with more than 300 members shall have three votes.

For purposes of representation, each AAUP member at an institution of higher education in Ohio at which there is no chartered AAUP chapter shall be entitled to be a member of  a single statewide chapter, called the State Chapter. This State Chapter may nominate and elect officers, who shall in turn provide for the nomination and election of delegates to the Ohio Conference.

Important Voting Information

We reported to you in our last e-mail that many Ohioans had been purged from the voter rolls. Last week, a court ruled that Secretary of State Jon Husted acted too aggressively in his removal of voters. 

Nevertheless, because this lawsuit is still being kicked around the court system, we urge you to check to make sure you are registered at your current address by visiting this website.

If the address listed for you is outdated, you can update it online via this link.   

If you need to register, click here. Download the voter registration form, fill it out, and mail it to your county board of elections.

Important 2016 Election Dates & Deadlines:

October 11: Voter Registration Deadline
November 5: Deadline for Board of Elections to receive Absentee Ballots by mail (must be received by noon)
November 8: Election Day; Absentee Ballots can be turned in to Board of Elections in person by close of polls

For more excellent voting resources, please see the Ohio voting guide from our partner, Fair Elections Legal Network.

Registration Now Open for 2016 Annual Meeting

OCAAUP’s 66th Annual Meeting will be held November 4-5, 2016 at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel. 

Join us for discussion about what is occurring on Ohio campuses, hear about OCAAUP’s activities and accomplishments over the last year, and network with colleagues from across the state.

This year’s keynote luncheon address, “All That Glitters is Not Gold: A Closer Look at Public Hedge Fund Investments,” will be given by Elizabeth Parisian of Hedge Clippers.

Hedge Clippers is a group that works to expose public investments in hedge funds, which often charge higher fees and produce lower returns than index funds. In addition, hedge fund billionaires frequently use their profits to fund anti-worker initiatives. Hedge Clippers brings attention to these issues in order to encourage public entities (including pension funds and university endowments) to divest from hedge funds. 

You may register online via this event registration page. The complete agenda can be found here. 

Please note that in order to get the significantly discounted block room rate, hotel reservations must be made by October 4.

Registration is only $25. All attendees will receive an Ohio AAUP t-shirt. We hope to see you in November!

Notice of Proposed Changes to Code of Regulations

During the business portion of the Annual Meeting, delegates will be asked to consider changes to OCAAUP’s Code of Regulations – what we call our constitution and by-laws. 

The changes would affect Article VIII of the Code, which is the section on Standing Committees. You can view the proposed changes via this link. As you will see, the proposal is primarily a “clean-up” of that section, which is intended to better reflect how the Conference functions and provide more flexibility. 

*A note about voting rights at the Annual Meeting:

Per Article VI of the Code of Regulations: 

With the exception of elections, voting shall be by delegates of the AAUP chapters in the 
State of Ohio present at the Conference meeting Chapters with 7-150 members shall have one vote; Chapters with 151 to 300 members shall have two votes; and chapters with more than 300 members shall have three votes.

For purposes of representation, each AAUP member at an institution of higher education in Ohio at which there is no chartered AAUP chapter shall be entitled to be a member of  a single statewide chapter, called the State Chapter. This State Chapter may nominate and elect officers, who shall in turn provide for the nomination and election of delegates to the Ohio Conference.

Have You Been Purged?

Over the last two years, over one million Ohioans have been purged from the voter rolls. Please check to make sure you are registered at your current address by visiting this website.

If the address listed for you is outdated, you can update it online via this link.   

If you need to register, click here. Download the voter registration form, fill it out, and mail it to your county board of elections.

Important 2016 Election Dates & Deadlines:

October 11: Voter Registration Deadline
November 5: Deadline for Board of Elections to receive Absentee Ballots by mail (must be received by noon)
November 8: Election Day; Absentee Ballots can be turned in to Board of Elections in person by close of polls

On June 30, Rep. John Becker (R-Union Twp) introduced a “right-to-work” (“RTW”) bill for the public sector. 

As we reported to you previously, earlier in the legislative session, a “RTW” bill for the private sector (HB 377) was introduced, but at the time, no similar bills for the public sector were put forth. Republicans were counting on the Friedrichs U.S. Supreme Court case to deliver that blow for them. But the death of Justice Scalia led the Court to a tie, affirming the lower court’s decision in favor of unions.

Rep. Becker’s legislation, House Bill 583, would allow non-members of a public employee union to “opt-out” of the union, and the union would not be required to represent those workers. Currently, non-members have to be represented by the union and pay a “fair share fee” to the union for contract enforcement.

Rep. Becker is using these tactics in an attempt to inoculate against the “free rider” argument that unions have made for many years against “RTW” — that non-members should pay a fee for the services and benefits they receive from the union. However, the language in this bill opens up a whole host of other problems. 

For instance, employers would have to negotiate individual employment contracts with each non-member. Employers could use this as a “divide and conquer” tool; that is, give better wages, benefits, and other perks to non-members in the short-term to peel off members from the union. 
“RTW” bills in every form have been thinly-veiled union-busting tools, and HB 583 is no different.

Thus far, the bill only has been introduced. Over the next week, we expect it to be referred to committee, where it is likely to sit until after the election. It is possible that Republicans try to pass the bill during lame duck session. It is possible they do nothing with it. We hope to learn more over the next few weeks and months. 

OCAAUP leadership will be ensuring that our association is as prepared as possible for the worst case scenario. We continue to be active with We Are Ohio, the coalition that successfully repealed SB 5 nearly five years ago, so we again will be closely aligned with our other union brothers and sisters should we have another battle on our hands. 

As always, we will keep you informed with any developments. In the meantime, we wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.