Thank you to those who have spent time sending messages to members of the House Finance Committee. Your activism is absolutely critical. This is an extremely serious situation, as our collective bargaining rights are being threatened.

We now need to refocus our efforts on contacting only the Republican members of the Finance Committee AND House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger. Their offices need to be inundated with calls and e-mails so that they realize these provisions are strongly and widely opposed.

The bill will be voted on in committee on Monday, and the full House will vote on Wednesday. Place calls and send e-mails through Monday.

Here is the contact information:
Speaker Cliff Rosenberger: (614) 466-3506; rep91@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Ryan Smith: (614) 466-1366; rep93@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Kirk Schuring: (614) 752-2438, rep48@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Marlene Anielski: (614) 644-6041; rep06@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Tony Burkley: (614) 644-5091; rep82@ohiohouse.gov
Rep.  Robert Cupp: (614) 466-9624; rep04@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Timothy Derickson: (614) 644-5094; rep53@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Mike Dovilla: (614) 466-4895; rep07@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Mike Duffey: (614) 644-6030; rep21@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Doug Green: (614) 644-6034; rep66@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Cheryl Grossman: (614) 466-9690; rep23@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. David Hall: (614) 466-2994; rep70@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Stephanie Kunze: (614) 466-8012; rep24@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Ron Maag: (614) 644-6023; rep62@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Jeff McClain: (614) 644-6265; rep87@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Rick Perales: (614) 644-6020; rep73@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Bill Reineke: (614) 466-1374; rep88@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Mark Romanchuk: (614) 466-5802; rep02@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Gary Scherer: (614) 644-7928; rep92@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Barbara Sears: (614) 466-1731; rep47@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Robert Sprague: (614) 466-3819; rep83@ohiohouse.gov
Rep. Andy Thompson: (614) 644-8728; rep95@ohiohouse.gov

For purposes of sending one e-mail message to all of these representatives, here is a list you can simply copy and paste: 
Rep06@ohiohouse.gov; rep82@ohiohouse.gov; rep04@ohiohouse.gov; rep53@ohiohouse.gov; rep07@ohiohouse.gov; rep21@ohiohouse.gov; rep66@ohiohouse.gov; rep23@ohiohouse.gov; rep70@ohiohouse.gov; rep24@ohiohouse.gov; rep62@ohiohouse.gov; rep87@ohiohouse.gov; rep73@ohiohouse.gov; rep88@ohiohouse.gov; rep02@ohiohouse.gov; rep92@ohiohouse.gov; rep48@ohiohouse.gov; rep47@ohiohouse.gov; rep93@ohiohouse.gov; rep83@ohiohouse.gov; rep91@ohiohouse.gov; rep95@ohiohouse.govMany of you may call these offices over the weekend when no one is there. That is fine. Leave messages. Whether or not someone answers, you can say:

“I’m calling to express my strong opposition to the language in Substitute House Bill 64 that is aimed at taking away collective bargaining rights for faculty. I hope that Representative (their name) will work to remove this language in the House Finance Committee.”

And here is a revised, sample e-mail message:

Subject: Please remove anti-faculty language from HB 64

Representative,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the language in Substitute House Bill 64 that is aimed at taking away collective bargaining rights for public college and university faculty.

The language would reclassify faculty as management, and contends that they are managers because of basic functions they perform in their jobs, like choosing curriculum. 

If faculty had true decision-making power at our institutions of higher education, our institutions would be run much differently. There would be more focus on instruction and research rather than on a construction arms race and deficit-spending on athletic programs.

Apparently, this language has been included to help institutions “control costs.”

Faculty are not driving up costs at our institutions, and the data proves that. Over the last 10 years, faculty salaries and benefits have failed to keep pace with inflation. In fact, when adjusted for inflation, instructional compensation has declined over 4%. The real problem is that administrations are prioritizing spending on things that are peripheral to the educational mission of our public institutions. That is the issue that needs to be addressed.

In addition, if faculty were elevated to management status, wouldn’t that imply they would earn more, not less? If staff were hired for the service work that faculty volunteer to do, employment costs at our universities would soar. Faculty service provides exactly the kind of efficiency the legislature is always demanding. Why undermine it?
This language is a thinly-veiled attempt to strip faculty of their collective bargaining rights and is no different than the attack that was in SB 5 four years ago. We do not need another divisive collective bargaining battle in Ohio. 

Please do the rational and right thing and push for the removal of these amendments from Substitute HB 64.

Thank you,

[Your Name]