YSU faculty union issues strike notice
YOUNGSTOWN — Classes at Youngstown State University are set to start as planned today despite Tuesday’s strike authorization vote from the faculty.
The university and the union that represents its faculty, YSU-Ohio Education Association, have been participating in a fact-finding process for a new contract.
The fact finder is expected to issue her report on unresolved contract issues shortly after Labor Day, university leaders said. At that time, both sides will have the opportunity to accept or reject the report.
A news release from the university states that regardless of the union’s actions Tuesday, “The YSU administration remains confident in the fact-finding processes and in the ability of both teams to negotiate a fair and equitable contract.”
Nearly 13,000 students are enrolled this semester, administrators said.
Some 200 union members voted to issue the 10-day strike notice during a Tuesday afternoon meeting. A strike authorization vote does not mean workers will strike, but it gives union leadership the ability to call a strike if negotiations stall.
The two sides last agreed on a new contract in February 2015 after negotiating more than a year. The three-year pact, retroactive to August 2014, included a wage freeze for faculty the first year and raises of 1 and 2 percent in the following two years. That labor agreement expired Aug. 14 and union members have been working on a contract extension since Aug. 15.
Neither side has provided much information about the negotiations since agreeing to a media blackout earlier this month.
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