Ohio Federation of Teachers

06/01/2026

Join us & CML United for a pre-election rally and celebration at the Franklin Park Amphitheater at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 7!

After months of waiting, our union election is finally just around the corner, and we’re rallying to celebrate our union and get out the vote for our election. Please join us at the Franklin Park Amphitheater at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 7, for this joyous event!

RSVP:
https://actionnetwork.org/events/rally-for-cml-united/

06/01/2026

Kudos to our members at Botkins Federation of Teachers for their work this year engaging students and families on literacy and giving away free books for students.

The local held literacy events in December (during Botkins Christmas weekend), in April (for dads and kids), and in May (for moms and kids). $5,000 in funding for new books came from AFT's Reading Opens the World program in partnership with First Book.

Giving children their own books to start or contribute to their at home libraries strengthens literacy skills and helps build a love of books that will keep students engaged as they grow and learn.

Shout out to Elementary School Reading Specialist Michele Meyer for helping to organize these events!

05/28/2026

Unionbusting is disgusting, especially at a public library! Thank you Columbus City Councilmember Rob Dorans!

05/27/2026

Today, Karen Rego, a teacher in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District and President of Cleveland Heights Teachers Union 795 joined Senator Louis W. Blessing III, Senator Kent Smith, and State Rep. Justin Pizzuli for a press conference in support of SB 443, the 'Take the Dough, We Gotta Know Act’ which would finally mandate accountability and transparency for private schools receiving state funding through vouchers. (🎥 from Ohio Channel )

05/26/2026

Last week, we posted about Cleveland Teachers Union 279's participation in AFT's Teacher Leader Program, but we failed to acknowledge all of the participating educators. Here is more information on them and their research!

Congratulations to all of these educators — Tondalaya Wright, Annie McAneny, Destiny Russell, Melissa Mertel, Rachel Calipetro, Anne Miano, Jessica Pizzute, Lorna Gamble, Jeremish Gsuder, Lynn Carney, Patrick Moorman, and Michelle Robb — who are doing important work for their schools, their communities, and their union!

05/26/2026

Discount on graduate credits for OFT members: OFT, Ursuline College, and Virtual Education Software - VESi have partnered to offer OFT members access to online courses available for graduate credit at a deeply discounted rate.

There is a low annual Course Membership Fee of $275.00 per year. You may take one course each term for a total of three courses each year, and you can choose from 30 courses for recertification/pay raise purposes.

Info and registration: https://www.virtualeduc.com/email-marketing/subscription/Summer_26/oft.html

05/20/2026

On Saturday, Cleveland Teachers Union 279 proudly participated in the AFT Teacher Leaders Program, an initiative designed to build member leadership through research and advocacy.

This year's cohort met monthly throughout the school year, developing action research papers and presenting their work at a culminating showcase for community members and policymakers. Topics included: the power of social emotional learning, the impact of school psychologist working conditions on students, the benefits and challenges of co-teaching in pre-k classrooms, building a classroom library, and more!

CTU also boasts a strong alumni presence in the program and are piloting the Teacher Leader Alumni Advocacy Tract, giving alumni members an opportunity to deepen their advocacy work and take their leadership to the next level.

05/19/2026

Alert for OFT members: Yesterday we emailed our Spring 2026 OFT Member Survey to OFT members. Please fill out this survey and let us know how things are in your workplace, how you feel about priority public policy issues, and your opinions about the 2026 election.

If you are an OFT member and did not receive that email, please email us at [email protected] and tell us your name and your local union. We'll email you a link to the survey.

It should take less than 15 minutes to complete this survey.

As a union, our power is rooted in our membership: you, your co-workers, and more than 20,000 other OFT members across the state. That’s why it’s essential that we have member input on priority issues in our workplaces and in our communities.

05/14/2026

Earlier this week, OFT, Ohio Education Association, Columbus Education Association, and the Central Ohio Worker Center - Centro de Trabajadores de Central Ohio hosted an interactive collective bargaining training for students from Northland High School. Students learned about collective bargaining and role-played a bargaining session as either a union member or a management representative.

05/13/2026

"I think a lot of faculty are kind of excited about how (the contract) creates more of a collaborative relationship with management. So as we start moving forward, it gives us a little bit more of a seat at the table to get involved in shared governance and have influence over academic matters."

That's the union difference.

Sonya Fix, an associate professor of liberal arts at the Columbus College of Art and Design, said the contract helps workers get better pay and adds worker protections. The contract also accomplished a big priority in helping adjunct professors.