(Columbus, OH) On Monday, June 27th, professors at the Ohio State University presented a series of letters in support of their union organizing efforts at the Marion OSU Campus. The letters were delivered to Ohio State University President Kristina M. Johnson and the Board of Trustees. Letters of support came from US Senator Sherrod Brown, Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano, Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce, esteemed members of the OSU faculty, and a joint letter of support from Columbus labor and community organizations at Ohio State and the Columbus area.
In early March the organizing campaign filed for an election with the Ohio State Employee Relations Board (SERB). Ohio State University has not acted in good faith throughout this process and has instead used delay tactics in the hopes that employees will lose focus. Despite this, professors across the Marion campus remain committed, and the letters have further strengthened the resolve of the faculty in this effort.
The letters of support ask for the University to remain neutral, set a date for a union election, and ultimately let the Marion campus faculty decide if they want a union. In the letter from Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo she reiterated the right of public employees to form a union, “I believe in the rights of public employees to have the ability to come together and bargain for wage and workload equity, quality healthcare, retirement benefits, and the opportunity to address workplace concerns.” Leader Russo went on to recognize that building a strong union could lead to better communication between the OSU administration and regional Marion professors. “I also believe that the administration and the regional union could better talk to each other and negotiate towards the benefit of all parties.”