As the administration stonewalls, Ohio University faculty fight for a first contract

In March 2025, 800 tenure-line, instructional and clinical faculty at Ohio University voted overwhelmingly to join the AFT and the American Association of University Professors, forming the United Academics of Ohio University. Now their challenge is making the university honor that vote and get serious about bargaining a first contract.

Only one of Ohio’s 14 public universities remain unorganized; thus a unionized faculty is the norm, not the exception, in this university system. Yet OU has twice attempted to invalidate the union election. First, it asked the state labor board to overturn the results, pledging to abide by the board’s decision. But in May 2025, after the board dismissed the university’s objections and unanimously certified the union, OU went to state court to appeal. (The court has not yet issued a ruling.)

Because state labor law obligates the university to bargain, it has been at the bargaining table for more than a year; however, it continues to publicly challenge the union’s existence. Per UAOU’s estimate, OU has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to quash the union. Meanwhile, the union’s demands are simple: Drop the lawsuit, stop wasting taxpayer and tuition dollars on union-busting, and finish bargaining a fair contract now.

“The university has been engaging in a lot of disingenuous behavior,” says John O’Keefe, UAOU communications director and an associate professor of history at Ohio University Chillicothe. “I think the public recognizes this.” 

Associate professor of communication studies and UAOU activist Sarah E. Jones says, “Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions. Supporting and retaining faculty can only result in stronger academic programs and increased degree value, so the [university’s] ongoing refusal to bargain a fair contract isn’t just cowardly, it’s irrational.”

A contract that fosters a first-class education

UAOU contract proposals center on: 

• Fixing subpar pay (OU faculty are among the lowest-paid in the state.);
• Job security (so that faculty can make sustainable careers at OU); and 
• A voice in university governance (crucial for advocating for what students need, such as smaller class sizes).

Regarding salaries, O’Keefe says, “In the past 10 years, the university administration has made a lot of noise” but hasn’t come through. “They’ve said, ‘We’re looking into it.’ We’ve been waiting such a long time. Some people have had to make the tough decision to leave.” The university’s recent salary offer fails even to keep up with inflation.”

Jones says, “Faculty know our value. I believe that, deep, deep down, university administration does too. The question is, how much are they willing to let the institution suffer before they reckon with it?” 

Campus and community opinion is with the union. A petition urging the administration to stop delaying and reach a fair contract garnered more than 1,000 signatures. Alumni are turning out in force at OU board meetings. Businesses throughout the close-knit town of Athens display bright-red pro-union placards in their windows. Students are joining faculty for rallies and lining the halls to cheer on the OU bargaining team. 

“Parents, students and the public want the university to recruit and retain the best faculty. They can see that a fair contract is key to ensuring a strong education for students. Their incredible support is so heartening,” says O’Keefe.

‘I know our fight will prevail’

UAOU is heading into the new school year bent on redoubling its efforts for a fair contract, including a major rally on Sept. 9. “We’re really ready to ramp up this fall,” says O’Keefe. 

O’Keefe and Jones draw their determination from both the groundswell of public support and the proud legacy of coming from union families. 

Jones’ grandfather was part of the 101-day strike at Louisville, Ky.’s GE Appliance Park in 1969-1970 (one of the longest strikes in the city’s history). “He knew then, and now I know, just how vital labor unions are to the health and well-being of an organization. OU is no exception,” says Jones. 

O’Keefe is the grandson of a union organizer in Baltimore’s shipyards, and his sister is active in her union, the United Federation of Teachers, in the New York City school system. And as a history professor, he is also inspired by what earlier generations sacrificed for American freedoms. His book Stranger Citizens examines how migrants living in the U.S. in the decades after American independence secured footholds of rights and citizenship. 

“All the rights we have today are the result of those kinds of struggles,” O’Keefe says. “People in the past have risked far more than I have. When we’re acting as individuals, we might be afraid, but when we come together, it builds our courage.”

The new local’s solidarity continues strong, despite administration delays and disrespect. 

Jones says, “I know our fight will prevail. The faculty of UAOU are harnessing our collective discipline to build something that will not just benefit us in the here and now but … for years and years to come.”

Want to support OU faculty in their fight for a fair first contract? Let OU administration know: Faculty and students deserve a fair contract now. 

[Christina Bartolomeo]