The United Academics of Ohio University, or UAOU, has pushed for unionization for almost a year, involving demonstrations, discussions and now a parade. UAOU is a faculty group trying to obtain its right to unionize with the support of a supermajority of staff. UAOU plans to attend this year’s homecoming parade Sept. 28 to officially represent itself as an organization and gain recognition for its cause. 

At the end of the Spring 2024 semester, we were waiting for OU's response to our request for a union election. Given our supermajority of support among faculty, we were hopeful that OU would respond in good faith and work with UAOU to let us vote.

Instead, OU has wasted time and money dragging out the process as long as possible over the summer. They've wait until the last minute of deadlines to submit their responses, which include inaccuracies, omissions, and a general misrepresentation of what UAOU is advocating for on behalf of the faculty--an inclusive faculty union.

There have been some important developments in the last couple weeks with UAOU's petition for holding an election for a faculty union, and we want to keep you updated.

A brief update on where we are currently: we are continuing to prepare for elections and have been pushing back against the university administration’s attempt to exclude faculty from the union. This week, faculty met with the attorney representing us, who in turn has been advocating for greater inclusion of faculty and made that case to the university administration’s legal team and the SERB. The university has until June 11 to provide a formal response with a list of who among faculty they will include and exclude, and we will make a response Monday, June 17.

We at UAOU have received the latest reply from the University administration regarding our union campaign. That statement called for a union election, but limited the faculty eligible for that election — the bargaining unit — to exclude full-time faculty from the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and from the College of Health Sciences and Professions, except for faculty in the Department of Social Work.

In 2020, 58 Ohio University employees lost their jobs due to cuts brought on by declining student enrollment that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget cuts began a push for unionization among OU faculty that, years later, is coming to fruition on OU’s campus amid early retirements and layoffs.

The United Academics of Ohio University, or UAOU, hosted an event and discussion of the current state of unionization on College Green on Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. to demonstrate to OU leadership that faculty are ready to vote for unionization.

The Ohio University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors reiterates its support of academic freedom. We have followed the recent protests and events at Columbia University and other universities, and we are deeply concerned about the implications of the response by university administration. We are also aware that events are continuing to unfold. Our Ohio University chapter also reiterates our condemnation of all forms of racism including anti-Semitism as well as anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism, all of which have spiked within the the wider US society during the past six months.goes here

April 11, 2024 – The United Academics of Ohio University, or UAOU, organized a solidarity event and discussion of the current state of unionizing at the Scripps Hall Amphitheater on Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. to show OU leadership that faculty are ready to vote for unionization.

United Academics of Ohio University condemns the actions of State Attorney General Dave Yost demanding that Ohio University cease offering race-based scholarships to BIPOC students. We demand a robust response from Ohio University administration to protect these scholarships, and to continue the necessary work of building a diverse, equitable, and just institution.

On Thursday, March 7, UAOU received a response from Michael Courtney, OU’s Senior Associate General Counsel and Director of Employee and Labor Relations. While university leadership fell short of commuting to neutrality, they promised to follow the law. We continue to move forward by submitting over 550 signed authorization cards to SERB to in Columbus today.

March 5, 2024 — Ohio University faculty are barrelling full-steam ahead toward forming a union, organizers announced at a rally on College Green Tuesday.

“Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions,” goes the campaign’s slogan, echoed many times by faculty members across departments and in chants at the rally.

March 5, 2024 – An effort to unionize faculty at Ohio University resulted in more than enough signatures to file a petition with the state.

March 5, 2024 - The United Academics of Ohio University, or UAOU, organized a "Day of Action" on Tuesday afternoon on College Green, advocating for improved job security and academic freedom for faculty. It concluded with UAOU submitting a letter to the Office of the President requesting that Ohio University President Lori Stewart Gonzalez respect its wishes to organize and collectively bargain.

March 5, 2024 - Dear Dr. Gonzalez:

We write to inform you that a majority of full-time faculty at Ohio University have signed authorization cards designating United Academics of Ohio University (UAOU), AFT-AAUP, as their exclusive bargaining representative. We therefore request that Ohio University respect the wishes of its employees to organize together and to have UAOU AFT-AAUP as their exclusive representative.