![](https://ohea.org/cms/assets/uploads/2012/12/DSCN8688-300x200.jpg)
Right to Work Around the Union
“Right to Work Around the Union,” as Jon Stewart calls it, has so many ramifications beyond joining or not joining the union. Just put it next to Senate Bill 5, something that Ohioans are familiar with, to understand the huge implications. If SB5 and Right to Work were dogs, SB5 would the neighbor’s annoying poodle that barks in the middle of the night and wakes you up. Right to Work is a pit bull. Senate Bill 5 is “Right to Work Lite.” Although the provisions of the two pieces of legislation use different wording and different restrictions, they both serve to weaken unions and the ability for workers to collectively bargain.
![](https://ohea.org/cms/assets/uploads/2012/12/reflecting-300x200.png)
Reflections on the Election
Since August, I have been fully submerged in Campaign 2012. For three months, I basically put every aspect of my life on hold in order to focus on the election. I turned my fantasy football team over to a friend and took a sabbatical from my book club.
With the elections a month behind us, I have had a chance to spend some time with my family, take a few naps and reflect on the election results.
![](https://ohea.org/cms/assets/uploads/2012/11/kidsnotcuts-300x200.jpg)
Top four reasons educators demand Congress stand up for Kids, Not Cuts!
We need a good deal for America’s hard working families—that means no more cuts to the vital services everyday Americans depend on: schools, healthcare, Social Security and public safety.
![](https://ohea.org/cms/assets/uploads/2012/10/OEA-Walk-PDF-Color-OVF-1209-15A-1-300x200.jpg)
It’s time for the PEOPLE to be in charge, as our forefathers intended.
They’ve stolen our voice, our vote, and our power. Every ten years, Ohio goes through a process known as “redistricting” in which the boundary lines for Statehouse and Congressional districts are redrawn. Instead of ensuring fair and balanced district lines, the politicians and lobbyists have rigged the system to make sure they have all the power to protect themselves and their friends. With uneven, unfair district lines, the voters never have a real choice.
![image: young African-American child with thick rimmed glasses, the word VOTE in background](https://ohea.org/cms/assets/uploads/2012/09/Vote-blackboard-300x200.jpg)
5 Reasons Why Every Educator Needs to Vote
[dropcap]1. [/dropcap]Vote to set an example for your children. As a child, I remember my parents getting ready to vote. They took the editorial page from the Akron Beacon Journal and scribbled notes in the margins. They took their union …
![9/11 memorial](https://ohea.org/cms/assets/uploads/2012/09/Greenberg-9-11-300x200.jpg)
9/11: Teaching Tolerance
September 11, 2001…. I remember where I was that morning, just as all Americans do. I was teaching seventh grade and classes were changing from second to third period. A boy named Nick came in and frantically said, “A plane …
![](https://ohea.org/cms/assets/uploads/2012/08/ludlow-300x200.jpg)
Remember the workers who fought for us
Today, most people are unaware of the McKees Rock strike or the tragedy in Ludlow or any of the countless other battles that workers fought that have led to decent wages and working conditions for Americans. They take for granted the 40-hour workweek. They take for granted weekends. They take for granted that they don’t have to worry about getting severely maimed or killed due to unsafe working conditions.
![](https://ohea.org/cms/assets/uploads/2012/08/WHScreenshot-300x200.png)
My Focus is on the Local
This Tuesday, the White House honored Dayton Education Association President David Romick by naming him as a “Champion of Change” for his exceptional school reform initiatives. Romick was instrumental in implementing dramatic changes to help close the achievement gap in Dayton public schools. Here, Romick talks about the philosophy that informs his reform and union-management collaboration efforts.
Blog | Advice to New Teachers: Know Your Union
Young, new teachers always have that fresh, energetic look in their eyes. Ten years from now they will look back and be amazed at how little they knew, and how difficult that first year of teaching was. As a new teacher, politics and unions were the farthest things from my mind when I got my first job. I felt like I won the lottery after I got the call that I was hired. Now that I am older, I realize I was about to begin a journey where experience was my best teacher, and the union would be my best friend.
![](https://ohea.org/cms/assets/uploads/2012/08/cuts-in-quality-300x200.png)
Budget Cuts Mean Cuts in Quality
Last night, I ventured into a whole new realm of public speaking, when I addressed the Ohio House Subcommittee on educational funding, at an open hearing in Lima. It was scary. I was on a stage, telling the story of my school district’s financial hardships, to a group of nine State Representatives. Although I had written and rehearsed my remarks, I had no idea what their reactions would be. I had no idea what follow-up questions they might ask. All I could do was tell my story.