Ohio University workers overcome challenges to build power
A blog published by AFSCME Internation -
Staff at Ohio University have overwhelmingly voted to form a union in an election that has been many years in the making.
The new local, which will be part of AFSCME Ohio Council 8, is comprised of administrative, technical and clerical staff in a wide array of roles such as library support, information technology, and many more. The new union is the second AFSCME local at Ohio University, along with the skilled trades, culinary and maintenance Local 1699.
Despite more than 82% of workers voting to form a union through AFSCME, victory was never a sure thing. Staff efforts to form a union go back more than 30 years and have encountered many challenges along the way. Those included workers being spread out across offices and regional campuses in every corner of the state, management’s refusal to voluntarily recognize the union, and a global pandemic sending workers home and forcing organizers to go digital.
Those challenges never stopped committed workers from organizing.