Faculty Petition for Representation Overview

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, Ohio University 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 (“yes or no”) 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 Ohio University 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.

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’s 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 “grievances” that may be filed under a CBA.