Ohio Federation of Teachers

A letter from City Council: Lauren Hagan CEO of CML Dear Ms. Hagan, The Columbus Metropolitan Library system is a beloved asset that plays a vital role in Central Ohio. Your committed staff are on the frontline every day not just of our neighbors’ needs for learning and literacy but for social services and community. We understand those staff have applied for a union election. We are writing to affirm our support for the workers at Columbus Metropolitan Library to exercise their lawful right to organize a union with the Ohio Federation of Teachers. We request that you remain neutral throughout the organizing campaign and the election, refraining from actions to interfere with or delay their legally-protected efforts. City Council firmly believes in the right of workers to organize and in the laws that protect a fair, free, and lawful organizing process. History shows that strong, respectful partnerships between labor and management not only improve working conditions, but also strengthen institutions and the services they provide. When employees have a voice, organizations are better positioned to thrive. We hope Columbus Metropolitan Library will honor these rights as it considers its response to the organizing effort. Columbus Metropolitan Library is a leader among libraries. That excellence is sustained through a partnership between leadership and the skilled, dedicated, and compassionate professionals who make the library’s mission possible. The library workers seeking to organize are acting not only in support of their own well-being, but in service of the long-term strength and success of the library itself. City Council remains committed to advancing fairness and dignity in the workplace. These principles improve the lives of workers, strengthen organizations, and build stronger communities. Thank you for your outstanding leadership of Columbus Metropolitan Library and for your continued service to the residents and families of our community.

The names and signatures of all 9 Columbus city council members

Thank you to the entire Columbus City Council for sending a letter to @columbuslibrary.bsky.social in support of CML workers and urging the library to remain neutral while workers wait for their union election!

Future farmers, future leaders By Sara Casto

@oftunion.bsky.social member Sara Casto is teaching agricultural education by blending classroom and experiential learning in her Ohio community, drawing on her own background growing up on her family farm. Check out how Sara's shaping future farmers and future leaders ⤵️
medium.com/@AFTunion/fu...

Examining the rise in unionization among local organizations The Columbus Dispatch is one of several local organizations whose employees are making an effort to unionize. We're talking about the factors pushing Columbus employees toward unionizing on this hour ...

Here's the link to the online version - (full disclosure: I'm interviewed at the end about Ohio University's unionization efforts!) www.wosu.org/show/all-sid...

Initial Obamacare Enrollment Drops by 1.4 Million

1.4 million fewer people are signing up for Affordable Care Act health insurance because the Trump administration and their allies in Congress let ACA tax credits expire.

Nobody can afford this health care crisis. It’s time to fix it NOW.

Opinion | Where’s the Outrage? Universities Need to Speak Up. The lack of response to the killing of Renee Nicole Good is shameful.

"We seem to be entering an age of state control armed only with the delusional hope that if universities hide and say nothing about all of the obvious ways in which the nation is slouching toward the demise of democracy, they will avoid political retribution."

Whether it's calling out a safety issue in your workplace or shouting down an authoritarian, having a union means that you don't have to be afraid to exercise your constitutional right to free speech.

Examining the rise in unionization among local organizations The Columbus Dispatch is one of several local organizations whose employees are making an effort to unionize. We're talking about the factors pushing Columbus employees toward unionizing on this hour ...

The second hour (11 am - noon) of today's All Sides with Amy Juravich on WOSU will look at union organizing in Central Ohio. Guests will include organizing committee members from Columbus Metropolitan Library United and @dispatchnewsguild.bsky.social
Listen live on the radio or on WOSU's website!

Future farmers, future leaders By Sara Casto

Greenon HS agriculture teacher Sara Casto writes in @AFT's blog about the importance of ag career education:
"The three-circle model we use — classroom, leadership and experiential learning — really reaches students and teaches them not just farm skills, but life skills."

Tell Congress: Keep ICE Out of Schools This week, we witnessed unconscionable acts of violence by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Minnesota—including the murder of Renee Nicole Good, the handcuffing of school staff, th...

The violent acts of ICE in Minnesota last week—including detention of educators and assault on school property—highlights exactly why ICE must abide by long-standing respect for sensitive locations and stay away from schools.

Tell Congress—keep ICE out of schools ⤵️
actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...

Tell Columbus Metropolitan Library that you support library workers! Librarians and library workers at Columbus Metropolitan Library are coming together to form our union because we love our libraries and we are dedicated to serving our community. We deserve a voice i...

Stand with Ty and hundreds of other CML workers by taking action here: actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...

A graphic with a photo of Ty (a youth engagement specialist at Columbus Metropolitan Library's South High Branch) and his quote, which is in the text of this post. The graphic also has the CML United logo, which includes an illustration of two people, with different skin tones, holding a book, and the words, "CML United. Open to All."

“Hourly employees are kept out of most policy decisions and we’re also being asked to take on more and more duties without being compensated. I support forming a union because I want to have a say in how we design the roles and responsibilities in this work that I love.”

Texas Is Sued Over Investigations Into Teachers’ Speech After Charlie Kirk’s Death

📢 Free speech is free speech. Educators across Texas have been retaliated against for constitutionally protected speech that had no bearing on job performance and no impact on their classrooms.

Read more about our lawsuit against TEA in the New York Times article below 👇

As ACA tax credits expire, Ohio families face rising health costs Enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits expired last Wednesday and health advocates said Ohioans who buy their own insurance could see sharp increases in their premiums in 2026.Some lawmakers are

@oftunion.bsky.social President Melissa Cropper is spot on: "Currently, all the benefits are going towards corporations and not going to the people who actually need help getting by."
app.publicnewsservice.org/story/as-aca...

Dec. 23, 2025 Lauren Hagan Columbus Metropolitan Library Dear Ms. Hagan, We have learned that a supermajority of your staff have signed union authorization cards and have applied for a secret ballot union election. We are writing to voice our support for these essential workers’ legal right to organize. We strongly believe in the rights of employees to form a union and the laws that protect that process. We ask that Columbus Metropolitan Library note these rights and give full and fair consideration to remaining neutral throughout the organizing campaign and union election. We understand neutrality during a union election to include refraining from communicating about the union with anyone in the bargaining unit, as well as not delaying the union election with legal challenges. Through our work in the Ohio General Assembly, we have seen the incredibly positive impact that CML makes in our communities. We have also seen how the hard work of library staff makes that positive impact possible. These workers deserve to have a voice at work to bargain for working conditions that will allow them – and in turn, their libraries – to thrive. Ohio has a longstanding tradition of growing our middle class and creating stronger workplaces through collective bargaining. The ability of workers to join together and collectively bargain for better wages and conditions is something we have fought for throughout our careers in public service. Once workers collectively determine they would like to form a union, public entities should demonstrate leadership by respecting that choice. Strong partnerships between labor and management are not only to improve employee conditions, but the institution as a whole. We hope that all workers, but at this moment especially CML staff, are able to choose to organize for a voice in their workplace, free from interference of any kind while they await their union election. Thank you for your outstanding work in Columbus and central Ohio.

Sincerely, Beryl Brown Piccolantonio House Minority Whip House District 4 Beth Liston, MD Assistant Minority Whip Senate District 16 Latyna M. Humphrey State Representative House District 2 Meredith Lawson-Rowe State Representative House District 5 C. Allison Russo State Representative House District 7 Hearcel F. Craig Assistant Minority Leader Senate District 15 Dontavius L. Jarrells State Representative House District 1 Ismail Mohamed State Representative House District 3 Christine Cockley State Representative House District 6 Anita Somani, MD State Representative House District 8

Munira Abdullahi State Representative House District 9 Crystal Lett State Representative House District 11 Mark Sigrist State Representative House District 10 William DeMora State Senator Senate District 25

Thank you to the statehouse delegation for Franklin County for supporting library workers & urging CML to commit to neutrality!

"We hope that … CML staff, are able to choose to organize for a voice in their workplace, free from interference of any kind while they await their union election."

Union Talk Podcast Take a trip to a rural corner of southeast Ohio, where New Lexington schools are unlocking real opportunity for students and offering a blueprint for relevant and engaging public schools that meet the...

On the newest episode of her podcast, @aft.org President @rweingarten.bsky.social speaks to educators in New Lexington about their transformational approach to education and how they infuse their curriculum with career exploration.

Tell Columbus Metropolitan Library that you support library workers! Librarians and library workers at Columbus Metropolitan Library are coming together to form our union because we love our libraries and we are dedicated to serving our community. We deserve a voice i...

please show your support by sending a message to CEO Lauren Hagan and the CML Board of Trustees, asking them to stay neutral through our election. no public funds for union busting!

actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...

Behind the worker-led push to unionize the Columbus Metropolitan Library  – Matter News Last week, CML United initiated the unionization process when it delivered signed union cards representing a supermajority of eligible library workers to Ohio’s State Employment Relations Board, takin...

i love this article, because it really goes into depth about our stories and our process.

we’ve been working on this so long, and it means everything to me to be able to bring it to this stage.

matternews.org/community/be...

A graphic with Sabrina's photo and full quote: “‘Open To All’ means ‘All’. We organize because we all believe in this message and we love the work we do. Open To All has been a core concept for Columbus Metropolitan Library since its founding, but it doesn't only apply to the people we help every day. We need to be open to supporting the lives of all of our staff members, from all walks of life.

Workers at @columbuslibrary.bsky.social are forming a union because:
“‘Open To All’ means ‘All’. We organize because we all believe in this message and we love the work we do."
— Sabrina, Materials Services Associate, Whetstone Branch
Take action

Behind the worker-led push to unionize the Columbus Metropolitan Library  – Matter News Last week, CML United initiated the unionization process when it delivered signed union cards representing a supermajority of eligible library workers to Ohio’s State Employment Relations Board, takin...

“There are so many aspects of our work that our staff care about and want to improve, and we haven’t been able to without that collective voice. … We have to hold strong and remember this union is for us, and we are doing this to equalize the power.”

matternews.org/community/be...

Ohio Federation of Teachers Endorses Amy Acton for Governor COLUMBUS — The Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) announced today that they have endorsed Dr. Amy Acton for Governor, following a meeting and vote last night of OFT’s Executive Council, a representativ...

"We are proud to endorse @amyactonoh.bsky.social for Governor because she will put our children, families, and communities first by strengthening public education, higher education, and public services, and making life in Ohio more affordable." — OFT President @mcropper.bsky.social

A big congratulations to the workers at Columbus Metropolitan Library for officially starting their union election process today! Having a voice in the workplace will help ensure safe staffing levels, a say in library policies and stronger libraries for their community. bsky.app/profile/oftu...

Tell Columbus Metropolitan Library that you support library workers! Librarians and library workers at Columbus Metropolitan Library are coming together to form our union because we love our libraries and we are dedicated to serving our community. We deserve a voice i...

Take action here to stand with Rahaf, TJ, and all their coworkers at Columbus Metropolitan Library:

a graphic with TJ's photo and this quote: ”We all deserve fair wages, fair treatment, and a workplace that we can be proud of.” — TJ, Customer Services Specialist, South High

TJ is organizing because ”We all deserve fair wages, fair treatment, and a workplace that we can be proud of.”

A photo of Rahaf, with this full quote: “Library workers deserve safe, inclusive, and sustainable jobs so that they can serve their communities at their best. That won't happen if we don't have a say in the policies that affect our lives, our incomes, and our day-to-day interactions with patrons from all walks of life. Nobody knows what we need better than us!” — Rahaf, Customer Services Specialist, Martin Luther King Branch

Rahaf is organizing a union at CML because “Library workers deserve safe, inclusive & sustainable jobs so that they can serve their communities at their best. That won't happen if we don't have a say in the policies that affect our lives, our incomes & our day-to-day interactions with patrons"

Congratulations to @columbuslibrary.bsky.social workers who filed for a union election today to join the thousands of library workers in the AFT family! @oftunion.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/oftu...

there is no library without library workers. 💕

We filed for our union election today!!!!!!!! Libraries need workers and workers need unions 💪

Tell Columbus Metropolitan Library that you support library workers! Librarians and library workers at Columbus Metropolitan Library are coming together to form our union because we love our libraries and we are dedicated to serving our community. We deserve a voice i...

Take action and tell library leadership to remain neutral while workers wait for their union election!

Supermajority of Columbus Metropolitan Library Workers File For Union Election COLUMBUS — Today, a supermajority of Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) workers submitted signed union cards to Ohio’s State Employment Relations Board (SERB), initiating the union election process. ...

It's official — @columbuslibrary.bsky.social workers filed for their union election this morning!

“Extra! Extra!” “The Columbus Dispatch is unionizing” Picture of the outline of Ohio and over it says “The Local 1 Dispatch news guild”

Good news here in Columbus, according to Columbus News Guild on Instagram @dispatchnewsguild

Columbus Dispatch and Newark Advocate are forming a union.