March 5, 2024 - UAOU delivered a letter to OU President Lori Gonzalez stating their intention to represent OU’s faculty in collective bargaining negotiations.

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.

We intend to file a Petition for Representation Election for the bargaining unit of all full-time tenured/tenure-track and instructional faculty, including clinical CHSP, at all Ohio University campuses inclusive of the five regional campuses on Friday, March 8, 2024. We hope the University will respect the wishes of the faculty by not objecting to the petition, working quickly to stipulate an agreement for a fair election, and agreeing to be neutral in the run-up to the election. We ask that the University agree to remain neutral by (1) not making any statements against unionization or the Union, (2) by affirmatively instructing supervisors not to make any statements against unionization or the Union, (3) by agreeing to not hold any captive audience meetings with members of the proposed bargaining unit, and (4) by committing to maintain the current status quo regarding terms and conditions of employment.

We ask for response from the University by 5 pm on Thursday, March 7, 2024 as to whether it will agree to these measures to protect the integrity of the election. If you have any questions, please reach out to Jason Butler, AFT National Representative, at jbutler@aft.org and Marlan Maralit, AAUP Lead Organizer, at mmaralit@aaup.org.

Sincerely,

United Academics of Ohio University Organizing Committee