SB 1 Opponents Fill Statehouse, Again
The opponent hearing for Senate Bill 1 in the House Workforce and Higher Education Committee was held yesterday. The committee room, an overflow room, and most of the basement of the Statehouse were filled with SB 1 opponents. There were 718 opposition testimonies submitted.

Further demonstrating the undemocratic nature of SB 1 and the legislative process it has undergone, Chair Tom Young capped the committee hearing at three hours. Only 14 witnesses were able to address the committee within the imposed time constraints, with Republican Representatives often going on lengthy diatribes that ate up valuable committee time.

Several Republican committee members asked yes or no questions that attempted to paint faculty as the enemy, frequently pointing to the rare occurrence of a strike. If it weren’t already clear, the committee hearing demonstrated that the aim of the bill is to take away any power from professors, put it in the hands of administrators, and make all faculty at-will employees.

A special thank you to Prof. David Jackson (pictured), president of the BGSU Faculty Association, for delivering the OCAAUP testimony. Prof. Jackson focused on the ways that SB 1 seeks to censor–not only academic freedom and classroom discourse, but also faculty unions from having a say over the fundamental terms and conditions of employment. As Rep. Joe Miller pointed out, “We know this is a union-busting bill.”

There were a number of other excellent testimonies and Q&A with AAUP members from Cuyahoga Community College, Ohio State, and Ohio University. We know there were many other representatives from AAUP chapters who did not have the opportunity to present to the committee, but we appreciate their efforts in writing testimony and showing up. You can watch the hearing here on The Ohio Channel.

Next Steps & Actions to Take
We anticipate that there will be a proponent hearing and committee vote on SB 1 next week. The full House is expected to vote on the bill on Wednesday, March 19. We have known from the beginning that, due to the current political realities, SB 1 will pass in some form, which is why we have focused on suggesting specific amendments to the bill. Our efforts produced some small changes in the Senate, but we are trying to make bigger strides in the House, particularly with protecting collective bargaining rights.

Over the next week, it is absolutely critical to turn up the heat on the Ohio House, particularly the Workforce and Higher Education Committee. Republican members of the committee and their office phone numbers are listed below. Voice your concerns about the ways the bill would erode union rights, academic freedom, tenure and other job protections, as well as scholarships and programs for under-represented students.

Tom Young, Chair (614) 466-6504

Kevin Ritter, Vice Chair (614) 466-2158

Michael Dovilla (614) 466-4895

Marilyn John (614) 466-5802

Gayle Manning (614) 644-5076

Tracy Richardson (614) 466-8147

Nick Santucci (614) 466-5441

Josh Williams (614) 466-1418

Heidi Workman (614) 466-2004

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

Let’s keep up our collective activism! It continues to make a difference!