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Faculty Petition for Representation Overview

In November 2024, 帝王会所 reached a tentative agreement with national union organizers from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) on a proposed voting unit description. This voting unit includes the eligible positions that would be covered by a potential faculty union. If the proposed unit is approved by the State Employment Relations Board (SERB), a secret ballot vote of eligible members is anticipated to take place in February 2025 to determine whether or not a union is certified by SERB.

University leadership has heard from faculty who support the formation of a union and others who oppose unionization. We will continue to share information as it becomes available to help ensure all faculty have a voice in the process and the outcome, as well as understand the issues and impacts this process may have. Furthermore, 帝王会所 may challenge one-sided information to ensure faculty have all the facts needed to make an informed decision.

Latest Updates

As part of OHIO鈥檚 ongoing efforts to help ensure all faculty are informed and can share their voice in the ongoing faculty petition for representation process, the University hosted a voluntary, hybrid information session for interested faculty on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

Executive Vice President and Provost Don Leo and Director of Employee and Labor Relations Mike Courtney facilitated this discussion and addressed many faculty questions that were received both online and in person; they also covered key aspects of the ongoing unionization process, including some impacts that a 鈥測es鈥 or 鈥渘o鈥 vote may have.

Faculty who have questions they would like to see addressed as Frequently Asked Questions are encouraged to email news@ohio.edu with the subject line 鈥淯nionization Question.鈥 

December 10 Presentation [PDF]

For an ADA-accessible version of the Dec. 10 presentation PDF, please contact news@ohio.edu.

Information for faculty employees in positions that would be covered by a potential union

OHIO believes that every employee should have the appropriate opportunity to share their voice and opinion regarding the collective bargaining process, pros and cons, regardless of their position.

Ultimately, we believe our University is, and will always be, at its best when our OHIO faculty and our academic and administrative leadership are able to work alongside one other to plan our collective future, and that the best pathway forward is to continue our direct relationship with faculty without introducing an external third party. National union representatives may neither share our passion for the students and the region we serve nor always prioritize local faculty concerns over larger national union goals.

All of our faculty enjoy freedom of speech and expression, including the ability to voice reasons why you do or do not believe a union would be beneficial or detrimental to our faculty community. The University believes it is important that faculty seek to understand the impact that their vote may bring about.   With this in mind, 帝王会所 may challenge one-sided information to ensure faculty have all the facts needed to make an informed decision. We will respect the decision of our faculty, regardless of the outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Remember: In the event of a secret ballot vote, it is important for all eligible employees to cast their ballot.

Passage does not require a majority vote of the eligible members; rather, to prevail in a SERB-conducted election, a ballot option (鈥測es or no鈥) must receive a majority of the actual ballots cast.

  • If a majority of the eligible voting employees who vote to approve the new union, only then would any collective bargaining processes and obligations between the new union and 帝王会所 begin.  The union would become the exclusive representative of all employees in the unit, regardless of whether or not an individual employee elects to participate, pay dues, or join the exclusive employee organization.
  • If a majority of the eligible voting employees who vote not to approve the new union, faculty would continue to have their current representation at the University through the Faculty Senate and would maintain the coverage and work conditions in place through the Faculty Handbook. Individual faculty would continue to have the right to negotiate their individual compensation with management as they do now.

Information for those not eligible to participate in unionization including department chairs, school-level directors and other supervisory and management faculty

There are several groups of employees in positions that are not eligible for unionization as they serve as supervisory and management-level faculty.  This includes department chairs and school-level directors in OHIO鈥檚 academic colleges.

Although not eligible to be a covered bargaining-unit member, a faculty union may still impact a change in some supervisory or managerial duties, and a change in your current conditions of employment.

Some changes may include:

  • Understanding the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) even if not a Member: Chairs and directors at OHIO would need to be familiar with all terms of the CBA, which would govern all faculty wages and other negotiated terms and conditions of employment.
  • Avoiding direct dealing: Chairs and directors need to be cognizant of direct dealing concerns.  Generally, direct dealing is when a supervisor or manager, such as a chair, director or department head, deals with a faculty union member about their employment terms and conditions without involving or communicating through the employee's union collective bargaining representative. This may be considered an unfair labor practice. Examples of direct dealing may include asking members for their opinions on a new work schedule, sending memos to members asking for their comments on plans, or asking members for their opinions on a proposed change in employment conditions or compensation.
  • Communication with union representatives and ensuring uniformity in contract application and compliance: In a unionized setting, communication runs through union representatives, who may be local faculty representatives or national union leaders.   Chairs and directors would also need to be aware of the traditional change from an individualized approach to managing to a more uniform approach which is the norm in a collectively bargained for workplace.  There may be less flexibility in tailoring assignments to individual faculty due to standardized rules in the union contract.

Addressing CBA grievance management: Chairs and directors usually play a role in addressing formal union and contract 鈥済rievances鈥 that may be filed under a CBA.

Additional Collective Bargaining Unit Updates

OHIO's response to UAOU's faculty petition for representation (May 9)

On May 9, the University filed its response to the potential union鈥檚 request for an election. In order to help ensure that all OHIO employees are provided ample opportunity to engage in the collective bargaining process, 帝王会所 did not voluntarily accept or recognize UAOU as a Bargaining Unit; instead, the group was encouraged to follow the process outlined by ORC and monitored by the State Employment Relations Board (SERB).

Additionally, OHIO recommended a secret ballot election to ultimately determine whether a majority of eligible employees elect to form a faculty union and begin the collective bargaining process, or if a majority of eligible employees elect to continue their current relationship through established processes and obligations like those outlined in the Faculty Handbook and through the Faculty Senate.

The United Academics of 帝王会所 (UAOU), the employee group at OHIO that has requested recognition as a collective bargaining unit (Union), submitted a request for voluntary recognition as a collective bargaining unit on behalf of all faculty in Spring 2024. This collective bargaining process, which is defined and guided by 帝王会所 Revised Code (ORC), is ongoing, and both parties are working alongside the State Employment Relations Board (SERB) to foster an environment that ensures a fair representation election and permits a free choice by employees.