OFT's press contact is Communications Director Neil Bhaerman. You can reach him by email at nbhaerman@oft-aft.org
2026
March
Union, DCDL trustees reach agreement, March 20, 2026, Glenn Battishill, Delaware Gazette
- “Our libraries should be places where we can stay, build a career, and be rewarded for our experience. Before we organized our union, we didn’t have the voice to fight for what was needed and the benefits to attract and retain staff. The gains we made in our first union contract are changing this dynamic so that staff will be able to stay in the libraries we love.” — Kristen Vogel, a part-time adult services specialist at the Orange Branch who served on the union’s bargaining committee.
Ohio advocates, lawmakers say governor’s address missed key child welfare points, March 16, 2026, Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal
- OFT President Melissa said the governor’s actions “have completely undermined school districts’ ability to accomplish these goals,” including changing the Fair School Funding Plan model in the last state budget. “We are already seeing the impact of these budget cuts in school districts across the state,” Cropper said in a statement.
Ohio education, workforce leaders have mixed reactions to DeWine's State of the State, March 11, 2026, Jo Ingles, Statehouse News Bureau
- “I think that the governor gave a feel-good speech that glossed over some of the real issues that we still have remaining in our state and particularly in education… the bottom line is all the stuff is great and necessary, but without proper funding, it puts a huge strain on our districts" — OFT President Melissa Cropper
50 new reading coaches to work side-by-side with Ohio teachers in science of reading, March 11, 2026, Laura Hancock, cleveland.com
- Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper said that there is a disconnect between DeWine’s words and actions… “You talk about adding 50 more coaches at the state level at a time where in Toledo, they’re cutting instructional coaches in the district because they are trying to balance their budget,” Cropper said.
Morale slump for Ohio’s public educators, March 9, 2026
- "When we looked at the reasons why [teacher morale declined], the top two reasons were, one, increase in student behaviors and problems in the classroom that need to be dealt with, and then two was just a lack of autonomy, lack of respect that teachers feel." — OFT President Melissa Cropper
Rural History Teachers Choose Education Over Politics, March 5, 2026, Greg Wickenkamp, Barn Raiser
- "It’s heartbreaking to have that lie of indoctrination perpetuated. We’re not the ones in that business. There is a whole business of indoctrinating but it’s not in schools. It’s on phones. We just want to love them, and teach them, and enable them to live wonderful lives." — Heather Stambaugh, HS History Teacher and President of Greenon Federation of Teachers
Cincinnati educators, health care workers protest Ohio Republican ICE 'cooperation' bills, March 4, 2026, Marlena Lang, WCPO
- "Today we are standing together to fight for our students, patients and colleagues... You make communities safer by building trust with that community, not by intimidating them by force and violence" — Theresa Kulbaga, English professor and president of the Faculty Alliance of Miami University
Teacher, health care unions push back on Ohio legislation aiding ICE, March 4, 2026, Nick Swartsell, WVXU
- "We know [cooperation with ICE] will have big impact for our students' attendance — we are already seeing that. That's not fair to any child, to have to live their lives in fear. " — Julie Sellers, President of Cincinnati Federation of Teachers
Cincinnati Edition: We discuss the future of public school funding, March 2, 2026, WVXU
- OFT President Melissa Cropper interviewed about HB 671, a bill moving through the statehouse that puts Ohio school districts on notice: if they sue over private school vouchers, the measure could allow the state to withhold funding.
February
Nationwide Children’s rolls out literacy screenings for young children, Feb. 28, 2026, Lexi Lepof, WCMH
- “If they come into school in kindergarten, maybe lacking in some foundational skills, that gap just increases as the years go by. Teachers are seeing that in the classroom in terms of language and literacy skills, where they lack vocabulary and background knowledge.” — Jean Hribar, Executive Director of Learning Lighthouse (organization founded by OFT).
Cincinnati City Council passes immigration enforcement restrictions, with lone holdout, Feb. 26, 2026, Sean MacKinnon, WLWT
- "We have parents who are keeping their kids at home because they're worried about being picked up on the way to school, and that kind of fear is not just in our country. We have lost a student who graduated just a couple of weeks before he was detained." — Chandra Gardner, human rights committee chair of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers
What comes next for the Ohio teachers’ pension fund after a judge removed its chair?, Feb. 23, 2026, Morgan Trau, Ohio Capital Journal
- “They made drastic changes to the composition of the retirement board, and those changes are completely unnecessary…And I would say that our members are much more fearful of decisions of the legislature than they are of decisions made by the people that they chose to serve them.” — OFT President Melissa Cropper
CPS report cards should reflect learning, not a snapshot, Feb. 13, 2026, Op-ed by Julie Sellers, Cincinnati Enquirer
- "Transparency is critical, but it works only when it is accurate and contextualized. Families benefit far more from clear communication with teachers, regular conferences, and detailed progress reports than from a single test score printed on a report card. …Parents and educators share the same goal: helping students thrive. But labeling children based on one test undermines that shared mission. Let’s give families information that truly supports their children’s growth." — Cincinnati Federation of Teachers President Julie Sellers
Ohio bill would overturn conversion therapy bans, limit LGBTQ+ support in schools, Feb. 12, 2026, Morgan Trau, Ohio Capital Journal
- “When a child walks into a classroom, the teacher is not thinking this is a trans student, or this is an LGBTQ+ student, or anything else about that student. What they’re seeing is somebody’s future…It’s an absolute travesty that we have politicians who are attacking some of our most vulnerable students, who are using our teachers as as ways to attack these students, and are using this to advance their own political agenda and their own political careers, instead of thinking about what’s best for our students, what’s best for our public education system, what’s best for our communities, what’s best for us as humans.” — OFT President Melissa Cropper
Letter to the editor: Stop attacking teachers, unions, Feb. 6, 2026, Kevin Dalton, Toledo Blade
- "Let’s stop scapegoating teacher unions and work on policies and programs for our public schools that will actually make a difference in helping all our students thrive and be prepared for their next grade, college, career, and life." — Kevin Dalton, President of the Toledo Federation of Teachers
January
Leading Edge | Toledo Federation of Teachers Pres. on changes at TPS, Jan. 18, 2026, WTOL
As ACA tax credits expire, Ohio families face rising health costs, Jan. 5, 2026, Farah Siddiqi, Heartland Signal
- “We’ve seen SNAP benefits cut so that families with needy children are not able to get the food and assistance that they need. Currently, all the benefits are going towards corporations and not going to the people who actually need help getting by.” — OFT President Melissa Cropper
2025
December
Ohio bill requires free tutoring, extra help for students with lowest test scores, Dec. 22, 2025, Laura Hancock, cleveland.com
- "Educators are already stretched thin, with large classes and students who need more support than ever. It is not reasonable to add another new unfunded mandate, especially one with this many specific requirements for an improvement plan.” — OFT President Melissa Cropper
Behind the worker-led push to unionize the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Dec. 16, 2025, Andy Downing, Matter News
- “And being in those meetings, seeing how hard our committee members were advocating for us and how little traction they could make really cemented things for me, because they didn’t have any actual power to make changes. There are so many aspects of our work that our staff care about and want to improve, and we haven’t been able to without that collective voice. … We have to hold strong and remember this union is for us, and we are doing this to equalize the power.” — Kimberly Lowe, a customer services specialist at CML Southeast Branch
November
Workers at one of Ohio’s largest library systems set to unionize, Nov. 18, 2025, Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal
- “I feel like library communities are a reflection of statewide issues that the greater community is experiencing...If Columbus is experiencing issues with housing and people struggling to find jobs and access to food, they need help connecting to things that might help, and we’re needed even more.” — Rahaf Fares, Customer Service Specialist at CML and Organizing Committee member
- “I was at my library every chance I got. It was a place where I felt safe when that wasn’t necessarily the case in other places...Libraries are an essential part of a functioning democracy,” — Jude Virostko, Adult Services Librarian at CML and Organizing Committee member
Employees for 23-branch Columbus library announce campaign to unionize, Nov. 18, 2025, Dean Narciso, Columbus Dispatch
- "We can't rely on our administration or the government to protect our labor rights or the most vulnerable of our customers or co-workers. We need to have solidarity ... to use the power that we have in our numbers to organize and demand that our rights and our dignity as employees are upheld." — Phoebe Chung, Customer Service Specialist at CML and Organizing Committee member
October
'Flight, fight, or freeze': America's schools are facing a shaky start to the school year amid uncertainty at the Department of Education, Oct. 16, 2025, Ayelet Sheffey, Business Insider
- "[Trump's education cuts are] potentially very, very devastating and starts to feel very much like we're under attack for just trying to do something that makes the world a better place, makes kids' lives better," — Heather Stambaugh, HS History Teacher and President of Greenon Federation of Teachers
Ohio Federation of Teachers endorses Sherrod Brown for 2026 Senate election, Oct. 8, 2025, WSYX
- In a statement, OFT President Melissa Cropper said Brown has “spent his career fighting for the dignity of work and economic justice for Ohio families.”
September
Chronic absenteeism challenges Ohio education system with 25% absence rate, Sep. 30, 2026, Jack Krumm, WTOL
- “If students are missing instruction, it's going to impact how well they perform on the state tests. The state test scores are impacted, which again makes the district look worse than what they actually are…I think our education system has become so test-heavy that many students don't see the relevance of learning anymore. When they feel like the only reason to be in school is to learn information for a test and they don't see how that impacts their futures, they don't really see a need to be there.” — OFT President Melissa Cropper
3 major teachers’ unions sue Ohio, blame Republicans over STRS takeover, Sep. 16, 2025, Eileen McClory, Dayton Daily News
- “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.” — Glenetta Krause, member of Cincinnati Federation of Teachers
July
The Worker’s View: SB1 throws Central Ohio Technical College union contract into turmoil, July 31, 2025, Mandy Shunnarah, Matter News
Ohio public school leaders blast budget, saying it moves districts backward even with vetoes, July 1, 2025, Jo Ingles, Statehouse News Bureau
- Melissa Cropper with the Ohio Federation of Teachers said she doesn't believe Republican lawmakers who tout the budget as funding public education adequately. “It’s really hard for us to accept that when we have money that went to a sports stadium and money that’s going back in the form of tax reform."
- Cropper said this budget is disrespectful to public school teachers in ways other than school funding. “We are taking away their voice in the classroom. We are taking away their voice on policy on the state board of education. And now we are taking away their voice in their own public pension system."
June
United Faculty/Central Ohio Technical College union holds rally against SB 1, June 13, 2025, Columbus Dispatch
Citing Ohio’s Sweeping Higher Ed Law, College Refuses to Sign Union Contract, June 12, 2025, Ryan Quinn, Inside Higher Ed
COTC faculty union files unfair labor practice claim, alleging college reneged on new contract, June 11, 2025, Josué Perez, Newark Advocate
- “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.” — United Faculty / Central Ohio Technical College President Martin Schmerr
March
President Trump's education cuts risk vulnerable student programs, Ohio teachers union warns, March 12, 2025, Danielle Wiggins, WKYC
- "The Trump administration has intentions of completely gutting the Department of Education, so to hear that it was happening is honestly not a surprise. It is sad. It is harmful. It is devastating for kids all across this country." — Tracy Radich, third grade teacher and first vice president of the Cleveland Teachers Union
Ohio has near-universal school vouchers, but 10 counties have no private schools, March 10, 2026, Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal
- “To say that we have universal vouchers, that every family can take advantage of a voucher, is actually a fallacy. A lot of these counties don’t have options, or have very few options, yet they’re still being impacted by money going to vouchers, so it has a disproportionate impact on rural areas.” OFT President Melissa Cropper
Ohio teachers take action amid state, federal education funding uncertainty, February 2025, Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal
- “We’re not protesting to say we hate the governor or we hate the budget or anything like that, it’s more what education is about and where we are in it,” — Dan Fray, middle school English-Language Arts teacher and educational technology instructor with Toledo Public Schools
- “Having everything be so up in the air and … how we prepare and think about what might happen next school year, it makes me very fearful and very worried for the future of my school, my students,” — Tracy Radich, third grade teacher
February
Rural communities lose when vouchers replace public schools, February 7, 2025, Op-ed by Melissa Cropper, Lima News
- "For too many Ohio families, a voucher is just a coupon that can’t be used. Ohio’s kids, no matter where they live, deserve the quality, local public schools that are required by the Ohio Constitution. If Speaker Huffman doesn’t think our state budget can both fully fund public schools and pay the roughly $1 billion price tag for vouchers, then he is legally required to drop his voucher scheme and fund our public schools." — OFT President Melissa Cropper
January
Delaware County librarians now officially part of teachers union, January 27, 2025, Dean Narciso, Columbus Dispatch
- “Library workers joined together across all of our branches because we knew it was the only way to have a voice in the policies that affect us and our libraries,” said Megan Shoemaker, an adult services librarian at the Liberty Branch Library, part of the 3-branch system. The goal is "to ensure every staff member is respected and compensated fairly," she added in a written statement.
Millions of retirees and workers just got a raise in retirement income, January 16, 2025, Op-ed by Melissa Cropper, Ohio Capital Journal
- "Over the years, Sherrod heard from many public workers and retirees in my union and in others about the harm that WEP and GPO were causing, and he committed to continue fighting and leading on this bill until it became law. He went above and beyond, holding field hearings across Ohio and meeting with retirees, union members, and other public employees to hear our stories so he could share them with his colleagues and build the bipartisan coalition that was needed." — OFT President Melissa Cropper
Public school advocates take issue with new Ohio Speaker’s claim that funding model ‘unsustainable’, January 10, 2025, Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal
- "If the speaker thinks there isn’t enough education funding to go around, Ohio law is very clear. The legislature must fund public schools and make cuts to the costly and ineffective universal private school vouchers that were put in place by Speaker Huffman (as an Ohio senator) and other legislators,” — OFT President Melissa Cropper
2024
December
The state of the unions: Labor leaders look toward challenging years ahead, Dec. 19, Andy Downing, Matter News
- “When push comes to shove, people like Donald Trump follow the money and they make policies that benefit where the money comes from. Just look at how many billionaires have contributed to his campaign, like Elon Musk, who has been proven to not be a friend to labor. The fact that [Musk] has been given so much prominence within Trump’s world is a sign we should be fearful of what’s next for working-class people” — OFT President Melissa Cropper
August
As a Rural Ohioan, I See J.D. Vance for Who He Is, Aug. 5, 2024, Op-ed by Melissa Cropper, Barn Raiser
- "Donald Trump might think that rural voters in the 2024 election, Appalachian voters or Midwestern voters, will look at J.D. Vance and see ourselves. We don’t. We see the mine owner who poisons the air and water; we see the factory owner who leaves town to make a higher profit overseas; we see the Big Ag executives who make it near impossible for family farms to thrive—and we see the empty suit politicians who sell us out to please their billionaire donors." — OFT President Melissa Cropper
May
Upper Arlington library officially becomes union, despite leadership pushback, May 14, 2024, Dean Narciso, Columbus Dispatch
- “My coworkers and I voted to form our union because we want our library to thrive and that’s only possible if library workers are treated with respect, compensated fairly, and have a voice in decisions that affect our work.” — Caitlin O’Sullivan, a cataloger at Tremont Library and member of Upper Arlington Public Library United Staff
March
Equitas Health workers vote in favor of first union contract, March 29, 2024, Andy Downing, Matter News
Union-busting in Ohio public libraries is insulting and wasteful, March 28, 2024, Op-ed by Carol Veach, Ohio Capital Journal
- "Library workers are intrinsically well researched. It’s part of our mission to fight fake news and help provide library patrons with factual information. In the process of unionizing we were all eager to do our own research and find credible sources…It’s because library workers take research so seriously that it is so offensive when administrators or Board members try to convince library workers that they don’t need a union, as is currently happening at the Upper Arlington Public Library." — Carol Veach, Library Associate at Worthington Libraries and a member of Worthington Public Libraries United