• Feb. 12: Ballots will be mailed to eligible faculty’s home address by SERB (State Employment Relations Board).

• Feb. 18 – March 11: Election period.

  • NB: Please mail back your ballot to SERB as soon as you receive it, but make sure it is postmarked no later than Thursday, March 11th.

• March 17: SERB counts the ballots

• You receive the ballot in your mail (home address).

• Return your ballot via mail.

• Voting is confidential.

• No names are on the ballots. Only SERB has access to the ballots.

• All full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty* (all OU campuses).

• All full-time non-tenure track instructional faculty*.

(*) unless in HCOM or in one of the excluded departments in CSHP (see next answer).

• All faculty in the Heritage College of Medicine

• All faculty in the College of Health Sciences and Professions except:

  • Full-time faculty in the Departments of Social Work, Social Public Health, and Interdisciplinary Health Studies.

• All part-time faculty.

• All visiting faculty.

• All instructors.

• All faculty participating in an early retirement program.

• All supervisors, confidential employees, and management level employees.

• All ranks of presidents, provosts, deans.

• All school-level directors, department chairs, administrators and heads of schools.

• All faculty holding multiple appointments where one appointment is also in an excluded category.

• All other employees.

• UAOU petitioned to represent all full-time faculty at OU in March, 2024.

• OU management countered with their own petition excluding CHSP and HCOM, saying they do not share a “community of interest” with the included faculty.

• Despite 8 months of negotiation, OU management excludes HCOM and 7/10 departments in CHSP.

• The excluded faculty are currently organizing into a separate unit as part of UAOU.

• One union with separate units will give us the strength to advocate for all OU faculty.

• Yes, faculty can choose whether or not to be dues-paying members of the union.

• Regardless of membership status, however, everyone in the bargaining unit is represented by UAOU.

• Hence, by joining UAOU as an active member, you can participate fully in the decision-making processes and keep the union strong.

• Shared governance: Only with a union, faculty have a greater role in university decision-making.

• A better Ohio University: Only with a union, we negotiate binding agreements on shared governance, academic freedom, and economic security.

• A stronger commitment to our students: Only with a union, we can make OU’s educational mission our top priority. Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions!

If you need a replacement ballot you can email Daniel.Sabol@serb.ohio.gov to request one. Include your full name and mailing address, and CC us at unitedacademicsofou@gmail.com so that we can follow up in case you do not receive a response.

If your ballot has not arrived by Thursday, February 20th, request a replacement ballot on Friday, February 21st.

Email template to Dan Sabol at SERB:

To: daniel.sabol@serb.ohio.gov

Cc: unitedacademicsofou@gmail.com

Subject: Need a replacement ballot for the United Academics of Ohio University election

Dear Mr. Sabol,

I am emailing to request a replacement ballot for the current union election at Ohio University.  As of February 21, 2025, I still have not received a ballot from SERB.  I am a faculty member at Ohio University included in the bargaining unit.

My home mailing address is:

Thank you,

Voicemail script to Dan Sabol ((614) 466-3569) at SERB:

Hi, my name is ________, and I am a faculty member at Ohio University.  I am calling to follow up on my email requesting a replacement ballot.  My home address is _________.  Please call me back at ________ or email me back about a replacement ballot.

Again my name is __________.  Thank you.