NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 14, 2020 CONTACT: Mark Vopat, YSU-OEA Spokesperson 330 577 3768 markvopat@gmail.com YSU Administration’s Current Proposal Could Damage Future of YSU YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - After another round of unproductive negotiations with YSU Administration, the Youngstown State University faculty union, YSU-OEA, strongly urges the YSU Board of Trustees to intervene on behalf of the YSU community to bring a fair conclusion to contract negotiations between the union and the administration “While they have moved toward us in their salary and healthcare offers, they steadfastly refuse to budge on language that hits at the core of what we as faculty,” YSU-OEA President Steven Reale said “In every news release from Administration since the strike began Monday, Administration has told the public that faculty are striking solely over money and benefits This is untrue We have been consistent that there are four key points important to faculty One of those points has been resolved (faculty retention of intellectual property rights), and only one of the remaining three points relates to salary and benefits However, as the YSU-OEA has insisted throughout negotiations, the remaining two issues Administration does not discuss in its releases are equally important to the membership of YSU-OEA: Protection of our most vulnerable faculty, and preservation of the decades-old principle that has been at the center of this university for as long as the YSU OEA has existed allowing faculty to have a meaningful say in the educational future of the university “What we are really fighting for is the soul of Youngstown State University itself,” Reale added If Administration forces YSU OEA to accept its current counterproposal, here is what it would mean for the future of YSU: ● Faculty members could be forced by the Administration to substantially increase both the number of classes they teach each semester and the number of students taught in each class by 'stacking' sections of classes and treating stacked classes as one class Gone will be the low student-to-faculty ratios and one-on-one, personal relationships faculty have historically developed with students and which Administration frequently advertises as one of YSU’s top recruiting points ● Faculty members will have no say in the election of their chairs or in the operations of their departments, a crucial element in ensuring the high standard of education offered at YSU is maintained within academic divisions and across the university ● Faculty members will lose forever fundamental rights that have been in place for the last 50+ years - rights that allow them to actively and necessarily participate in developing academic programs and innovative partnerships that power academic success and form the futures of students at YSU The parties are set to resume proposal discussions at p.m Wednesday -30-