A Letter from Akron-AAUP's Legal Counsel to Ohio's House Finance Committee on HB 64

We write in support of the removal of the provisions in Sub. H.B. No. 64, pending in the House Finance Committee, which would amend Ohio Revised Code§ 4117.01 and remove virtually all full-time faculty at public institutions of higher education from the scope of the Ohio Public Employees’ Collective Bargaining Act.
Our law firm has the privilege to represent four chapters of the American Association of University Professors (“AAUP”) which represent faculty at public Ohio institutions of higher education. 1 While the content of this letter is informed by that representation, we write on behalf of ourselves and do not speak for our clients herein.
We believe the proposed amendments to§ 4117.01 are inappropriate because our experience in working with faculty labor organizations and university administrations has demonstrated that public institutions of higher education work best when there is true shared governance. If power is too consolidated in university or college management, true shared governance is highly unlikely – it is human nature that unchecked power leads to abusive results.
Read the entire letter HERE.