Staff have been working without a contract since August, though they will meet with the school’s administration again later this month.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Members of Youngstown State University’s faculty union have voted to support an authorization to strike.
The 397 members of YSU-Ohio Education Association met Wednesday to vote on the action. The strike authorization will allow the executive bargaining committee to submit a 10-day strike notice to the state.
In another matter, the faculty also voted to express no confidence in the YSU Board of Trustees and the YSU Administration, according to YSU-OEA president Annette Burden. In an emailed statement, Burden said:
As YSU-OEA president, I would like to emphasize that this vote was called for due to actions, or the lack thereof, taken by the Board and the Administration. Despite the best efforts of our union leaders and negotiators to resolve conflict and keep an open and transparent line of communication with this Administration and with members of the Board, we have been unable to correct issues and address concerns; and faculty morale continues to decline. This stance by no means indicates unwillingness on the part of the YSU-OEA to work collaboratively with the Administration or with the Board in the future. However, our members made great sacrifices in the last contract in order to give the University an opportunity to get its financial house in order. YSU-OEA is now being asked to make even greater sacrifices, even though there has been no noticeable change in the Administration’s spending habits since the last contract. The Board and the Administration have shown little respect for our long tradition of shared governance. The dedicated members of the YSU-OEA take great pride in the quality of our positive involvement within the community, our research, and most importantly, the educational services we provide to our students.
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Article and Picture Courtesy of WKBN-TV Youngstown
