The University of Toledo, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME ) Ohio Council 8 and AFSCME Local 2415 have signed an extension of an agreement that allows the union to continue to represent certain groups of employees of the former Medical University of Ohio.
“This agreement is symbolic of our commitment to working with all of our bargaining units and respecting the desire of our employees to be represented by these partners,” said UT President Lloyd Jacobs.
In recent weeks, AFSCME’s ability to serve in that role had been called into question by the state, and this agreement enables the union to continue with collective bargaining activities and representational processes under the current contract.
“With this agreement extension, we will be able to re-engage in collective bargaining negotiations without any question about AFSCME’s authority to do so,” Jacobs said. “We’re happy to take this action so that we can continue our work toward achieving a successor agreement.”
The previous recognition agreement was entered into in 2006 at the time of the merger of The University of Toledo and the Medical University of Ohio. Although it expired in 2009, leadership of the new UT continued to work in good faith with AFSCME.
With the signing of this agreement, both parties will approach the Ohio State Employment Relations Board to formalize the recognition with a joint petition for amendment certification.
“This is a positive step forward for a continued relationship with AFSCME for many employees on our Health Science Campus,” Jacobs said. “These employees are critical to our ongoing success and the delivery of university-quality care.”
