Petition of Support and Recognition for the United Academics of Ohio University (UAOU-AFT/AAUP)

To the presiding body of Ohio University’s Board of Trustees:

The Ohio University Board of Trustees is in service of “public trust” and “charged with the responsibility to be accountable to the institution’s mission and cultural heritage, the transcendent values and principles that guide and shape higher education and the public interest as well as the legitimate and relevant interests of the institution’s various constituencies.” 

In March of 2024, the UAOU notified the administration that we had achieved a super-majority of support among full-time faculty across campus, and demanded that university management remain neutral towards the desire of faculty to have a democratic election on the matter. Since that time, however, university management has failed to remain neutral towards the will of the faculty; has attempted to unfairly excluded a significant layer of faculty, including in the College of Health Sciences and Professions (CHSP), “directors”, and faculty with “multiple appointments” who deserve representation; and has otherwise utilized every opportunity to delay a timely and fair union election. 

The UAOU has proposed a reasonable and inclusive bargaining unit based on our shared community of interest. We are working to ensure that all full-time faculty — instructional, tenured, and tenure-track — benefit from UAOU membership. Unfortunately, the OU administration has refused to  give all of our colleagues that choice. Your actions are antithetical to Ohio University’s stated values.

THEREFORE, we demand the administration and the Board of Trustees to stop the needless delays. Respect the will of a majority of OU faculty! We demand that President Gonzalez, the Board of Trustees, and all leadership at OU grant immediate - past due -  recognition to UAOU and agree to a clear and prompt timeframe for our election agreement. LET US VOTE!

Signed,

United Academics of Ohio University (UAOU)