As Ohio’s public sector workers prepare to fight for their right to collectively bargain, there are some state employees still organizing just to get the chance.
“As grad students, we’re not allowed to organize—and we need to be,” said Megan Adams, a graduate student of American Cultural Studies at Bowling Green State University.
Ohio House Bill 365 and Senate Bill 129 would allow part-time higher education faculty to collectively bargain—if Senate Bill 5 doesn’t remove the rights first.
Signed by Governor John Kasich on March 31, SB5 limits the power of teachers and other public workers reliant on unions. Following the referendum process, petition efforts are underway to put SB5 on the ballot this fall.
Graduate students are anxiously awaiting the outcome and hoping to proceed with their own bill that will empower them to negotiate wages, grievances and labor disputes—like the 48 percent cut to the graduate program.
By July 1, restrictions on Ohio spending will reduce state funds, limiting several Ohio institutions, including BGSU.
"The one thing I don't support is less support for higher education that would yield higher tuition rates or reducing access or programs for students," said state representative and BGSU alumnus Randy Gardner.
But that seems to be exactly what’s happening.
"In the next two years, funding for graduate education will be reduced $12 million out of a $25 million proposal," said Steve Dinda, president of Graduate Student Senate. "That's a major problem that needs to be addressed quickly."
Scott Sundvall, a member of Graduate Student Senate, feels the school is burdening graduate students with a disproportionate amount of the budget shortfall. He’s also critical of BGSU “resorting to a business model.”
“It’s one big step towards corporatizing the university, which is exactly what’s happening with SB5,” he said.
After participating in February’s SB5 protest in Columbus, Sundvall was a leader for BGSU’s own rally in March and helped organize a teach-in the same month with union representatives, explaining the implications of the legislation to graduate students waiting for their own chance to collectively bargain.
He also drafted an open letter voicing grad students’ concerns about program reductions affecting their financial situation. Without a union, grad students communicate directly with the university administration.
“We’re not employees. We’re just students who get this great offer to teach at exploitive wages,” said Sundvall.
As the university attempts to deal with a fiscal crisis and create a new funding model for graduate education, the administration has agreed to de-couple scholarships and stipends for graduate students, affecting the cost of tuition and their opportunity for employment on campus.
“I think that’s an unfortunate coincidence of a number of things happening at the same time,” said Interim Vice Provost for Academics and Dean of the Graduate College Timothy Messer-Kruse.
Panicked about their existing contracts, graduate students like Sundvall believe there has been an intentional lack of transparency, but Messer-Kruse insists he’s been working with Graduate Student Senate leadership throughout the year.
“We want to employ the best practices so as to most efficiently distribute the resources that we have,” said Messer-Kruse, explaining the university has a moral obligation to support current students until they finish their program.
But Sundvall sees administrative promises as a way to keep graduate students from getting more actively involved with union action, both on and off campus.
"There is a reason that the union bosses opposed these changes; because it strips power from the union leaders and returns it to the taxpayers and workers," Kasich’s campaign email said. "But make no mistake; we are fighting to save Ohio and need your help.”
Whether SB5 will save the economy or hurt the middle class remains to be seen. But the legislation has lit a fire under the union members who refuse to accept Kasich’s decision and are committed to fighting.
“We will be incredibly energized when we win in November,” Jackson said. “They will rue the day they woke us up.”
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