Press

COLUMBUS — The Executive Council of the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) recently voted to endorse Sherrod Brown for Senate in the 2026 election. The Executive Council is made up of OFT member leaders from across the state. 

Melissa Cropper, OFT President, released the following statement about the endorsement: “Sherrod spent his career fighting for the dignity of work and economic justice for Ohio families. Ohio — and the rest of the country — were better off when we had his unabashedly pro-worker, pro-union, pro-education voice in the Senate."

COLUMBUS — Today, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Andy Miller issued a major ruling to protect educators’ voice in the future of the State Teachers Retirement System by granting a temporary restraining order preventing the provisions in the state budget affecting the STRS Board makeup from taking effect until a preliminary injunction hearing is held. This ruling is in response to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Ohio Education Association (OEA), the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT), and the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors (OC AAUP).

COLUMBUS — Today, members of the Ohio Education Association (OEA), the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT), and the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors (OC AAUP) filed a lawsuit in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas challenging an unconstitutional and discriminatory provision in the most recent Ohio state budget that strips educators of their rightful voice on the the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Board.

“This policy is the latest in a long line of attacks against educators in Ohio,” said Glenetta Krause, a district-wide teacher mentor for Cincinnati Public Schools and member of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, who is the lead plaintiff. “Statehouse politicians have underfunded our public schools, rolled back our collective bargaining rights, fully eliminated Ohio’s elected State Board of Education, and told us what we can and can’t teach. Now they’re taking away our representation on our own retirement board. This lawsuit is about restoring fairness and protecting our fundamental right to have a say in how our retirement is managed.”

NEW LEXINGTON, OHIO — Yesterday, members of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Career Technical Education Committee, AFT President Randi Weingarten, and U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown toured New Lexington City School District facilities, including the middle school, the Workforce Development Center, and the school farm. The tour focused on the innovative and expansive career technical education program that the district has built up in recent years. 
 

ATHENS, OHIO — Ohio University faculty engaged students and their families about their fight for a fair union contract today, during the university’s move-in weekend. The faculty, members of the United Academics of Ohio University (UAOU), flyered on the corner of Washington and Court Street and asked students and families to sign UAOU’s solidarity pledge. Faculty also arranged for a mobile billboard about contract negotiations to drive through campus all day.

“It’s critical that we negotiate a strong first contract because it will help OU faculty gain fair and competitive pay, greater job security, and safer and healthier workspaces at a time when higher education is under attack,” said Courtney Koestler, an Associate Professor of Teacher Education. “Legislation like SB1 is eroding academic freedom, faculty protections, vital support systems for students and faculty, all of which harm our institutions of higher education. Through collective bargaining, we can work with university leaders to secure the rights of faculty now. Having a strong and protected faculty is the foundation for high-quality education for students.”

“For decades, Sherrod Brown has stood up for Ohio workers and for quality public education. He fought against unfair trade agreements that hurt Ohio communities; passed the American Miners Act to keep Ohio mineworkers safe and healthy; passed the Butch Lewis Act to restore pensions for more than 100,000 Ohio workers; and protected Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act from relentless attacks. Most recently, in December 2024, Sherrod was able to pass the Social Security Fairness Act which ended financial penalties for public sector workers who were also due to receive social security benefits."

“It is clear from the policy choices made in this budget that Governor DeWine, Ohio House Speaker Huffman, and Ohio Senate President McColley value profits over people and stadiums over students."

The All In For Ohio Kids (AOK) Coalition released the following statement: “The 23 Senators who voted for the budget chose to give a generous boost to the incomes of Ohio’s wealthiest residents. Yet they failed to provide the necessary resources to properly educate the 90% of students – about 1.6 million children – who attend our public schools. They figured out a way to give $600 million to a billionaire political donor for a football stadium, but abandoned the Fair School Funding Plan they promised would be fully implemented in this budget. The budget passed by the Ohio Senate is a betrayal of the bipartisan work that went into the creation of the Fair School Funding Plan, which requires lawmakers to include up-to-date costs and fully account for the needs of every child in every community. What the Senate passed this week is a cheap knock-off of the original Fair School Funding Plan.

NEWARK, OHIO — On Friday, June 6, the United Faculty/Central Ohio Technical College (UF/COTC) filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge over COTC’s refusal to sign a contract agreement and their insistence that the union return to the bargaining table and accept concessions. The contract agreement became binding after it was ratified by the union and the COTC Board failed to act within the time limit that is set in Ohio law. The administration’s refusal to sign the contract signals that they have no intention of following the contract.

“Union members negotiated our contract in good faith, reached an agreement with our college, and overwhelmingly ratified the agreement,” said Martin Schmerr, a Biology Professor at COTC and President of UF/COTC. “Ohio law is clear. Since we ratified the contract and our administration didn’t vote on ratification within the allotted time, our contract is officially approved. It’s outrageous that our Board is ignoring the law and acting as if we’re still in negotiations. It’s time for the Board to sign the contract so we can move forward together.”

Statement from the All in For Ohio Kids coalition: Four years ago, lawmakers promised to fully implement the Fair School Funding Plan in the 2026-27 budget. Since then, we have been waiting for state legislators to make good on their commitment, so all Ohio children – regardless of wealth, race, ability or background – can attend a public school that provides them with everything they need to succeed.

Unlike the House budget, the Senate sub bill retains more of the elements of the Fair School Funding Plan, yet when taken as a whole, it underfunds schools, increases uncertainty for districts, and makes it harder for districts to pass levies necessary to fill the gaps created by the continued shortchanging of education by the state.