CORE Submits Emergency New Business Item for State Affiliate Meeting Dec. 6
Rank & File union organizers seek to push the Ohio Education Association to take long-overdue action against a hostile state legislature.
On Sunday, November 30th CORE organizers submitted a New Business Item (NBI) for the Ohio Education Association (OEA) delegates to discuss and vote on at the upcoming Representative Assembly (RA) on Saturday, December 6, 2025.
The NBI calls for OEA to create and fund a statewide ballot initiative to retain and restore collective bargaining rights for all Ohio workers, not just OEA members. CORE organizers believe their state affiliates should proactively lead the fight for organized labor in Ohio instead of playing nice with politicians and hoping for the best.
The emergency NBI responds directly to the Ohio legislature’s attempts to weaken educator unions and escalate the damage of Senate Bill 1 — the law signed by Governor DeWine on March 28, 2025 that stripped higher-ed faculty of academic freedom and the right to strike. We know they’re coming for K-12 educators next and other unions soon after — Senate Bill 5 wasn’t so long ago, after all.
In true educator fashion, CORE organizers aren’t just defending their own rights; they’re fighting for every worker in Ohio. An attack on one union is an attack on all.
The complete language of the NBI is as follows:
Collective Bargaining Rights NBI
Because the Ohio legislature has demonstrated hostility to the public education profession through targeted attacks, the Ohio Education Association will:
Create and fund a statewide ballot initiative for a constitutional amendment for the 2026 November election cycle which retains and restores:
Collective bargaining rights
The right to strike
The rights of all workers (public and private sector) to unionize.
To accomplish this task the Ohio Education Association will:
Utilize existing partnerships with labor sectors to fund this statewide ballot initiative
Utilize its infrastructure of membership to organize efficiently and productively to gather the required signatures throughout the process
Notify the members of the General Assembly on the progress of this New Business Item on a monthly basis
Rationale: Ohio General Assembly has signaled an escalating effort to erode collective bargaining rights and undermine union power. Lawmakers have recently removed academic freedom and the right to strike from higher education institutions through the passage of Senate Bill 1. This was not a stand-alone effort. This is part of a targeted series of efforts which will break union protections across all sectors one piece at a time. The signature requirements and process of a statewide ballot initiative is extensive, this constitutes an emergency action by OEA which will not be feasible if brought any later than the 2025 Fall Representative Assembly.
The NBI was written by CORE members representing 5 local unions. It has been put forward by CORE organizers Kelsey Gray from the Columbus Education Association and Natalie Geer from Delaware City Educators Association.