Ohio Senate reintroduced as Senate Bill 1
Despite strong opposition to Senate Bill (SB) 83 during the 135th General Assembly, the Ohio Senate reintroduced it as SB 1, sponsored by Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Kirkland). The bill is expected to be on the fast track for passage clearing both chambers as early as the end of February.
Notably, SB 1 restores the faculty strike ban for full-time faculty members from the original version of SB 83 and contains the previous collective bargaining restrictions. This includes prohibiting bargaining regarding faculty evaluations, tenure, and retrenchment (the process for reduction of force).
SB 1 represents the largest restriction collective bargaining rights since Senate Bill 5 in 2011.
The bill also contains language that micromanages higher education classrooms and threatens academic freedom on Ohio’s public university and college campuses. OEA believes that these policies are best developed locally by faculty and administration determining systems that work best for their campuses, not top-down state mandates.
Email your Ohio Senate member and urge them to oppose Senate Bill 1!
