Akron AAUP Protecting Academic Freedom For a Free Society
The University of Akron Chapter |
American Association of University Professors

THIS IS URGENT and an IMMEDIATE THREAT !
Union-busting SB5 All Over Again….but this time it’s subversive and underhanded
Remember SB5?  In 2011 the Ohio General Assembly attempted to restrict public employees’ right to bargain collectively. They failed when SB5 was rejected by 62% of Ohioans.
With SB5 legislators targeted all Ohio public employees. This time legislators are using a divide and conquer strategy.
A new provision in House Bill #64–the Ohio State Budget Bill– reclassifies faculty members of Ohio’s public universities as supervisors or managers.
Specifically, it states that faculty who participate in any type of governance, including curriculum design, hiring, and many other aspects of faculty service, are managerial employees and thus prohibited from bargaining collectively.
Let’s be clear: if you so much as make a decision as to what text book to use in your classes you will be be classified as “management” or “supervisory” and will be stripped of your right to the privileges, rights and protections of collective bargaining.
This provision is clearly nothing but a new version of SB5 and may very well be at the request of the IUC – the organization composed of university presidents and high-level administrators. Without collective bargaining, the university can and will unilaterally determine wages, benefits, and working conditions.
SB5 was vetted publicly, and it was subjected to public debate and public input. This is clearly NOT the case now. Ohio’s legislators will be deciding on this bill Monday, APRIL 21.
We urge you–our union members and our union-supporting allies– to drop what you’re doing for 10 minutes and contact the following individuals with your vehement opposition to this underhanded attack on your rights to bargain collectively.
Read more, and obtain email addresses and phone numbers of the state representatives responsible for including this language in the state’s budget bill.
http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=013873744de271c19bcd0057a&id=39a8f8db40

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