Unions exist to improve the lives of their members, although much of this happens at the negotiating table and through contract enforcement, we are also directly impacted by the world around us. Decisions made in Columbus and Washington, DC influence our lives and our contract. The first political action committee in the United States was the Congress of Industrial Organizations PAC. They fought back against legislation that would limit their ability to strike and negotiate for their members.
Today we also face hostile legislation and executive orders. President Trump has used executive orders to try to restrict grant funding; he has pushed limits on how colleges can operate, going after students and faculty; and he has created a situation where international students and faculty are fearful. At the state level, we have seen a consistent attempt to restrict what can happen in the classroom, while legislators ignore the real problems of college affordability and how AI disruption is impacting higher education. State legislators have restricted what we can negotiate over, barring important topics such as workload, and restricting our ability to take action to bring Miami leadership to the table.
To identify higher education candidates for our members we started by examining races where we had a large number of members. In those races we looked to see if there is a candidate who will fight for the issues that matter to our members: increased funding for higher education; a government that lets us teach and research without interference, including about so-called controversial subjects; respect for the workers that make higher education run; and a commitment to higher education that is available to all those who want it.
The candidates we’ve identified as higher education labor candidates are:
Ohio House District 47: Jordan Haire
Jordan Haire is the clear choice in House District 47. Jordan is a first-time candidate, having worked most of her life as a mental health counselor. She has made it clear that she is committed to increasing funding for higher education, and would vote to roll back SB1, which has stripped so much from faculty and librarians at Miami and across Ohio. Her opponent, Diane Mullins, voted for SB1, and has not shown any willingness to push back on much of the anti-higher education rhetoric that is commonplace today.
Ohio Governor: Amy Acton
The next Ohio governor will have important power over what happens at Miami. They will set the stage for budget debates, be able to sign or veto legislation, and nominate members to the Miami University Board of Trustees. There is a stark choice here for voters between Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy. Amy Acton has made it clear that she will resist any attempts to weaken labor unions, including FAM. Acton is on the record saying she wants to work with legislators to reduce the effects of SB1 on Ohio colleges and universities. Acton also wants to work to make higher education more affordable by continuing funding that college needs.
In contrast, Ramaswamy has voiced his support of SB1, thanking State Senator Jerry Cirino for his work. He’s also proposed closing Ohio colleges, a policy that received pushback from Governor Mike DeWine. Ramaswamy has also said he wants to abolish teachers unions, which likely would include faculty and librarian unions like FAM.
US Senate: Sherrod Brown
Serving in the U.S. Senate from 2007 to 2025, Sherrod was a consistent advocate for quality public education and workers. He’s been a long time proponent of increasing Pell Grant funding and has spent his whole career defending collective bargaining rights. Sherrod also helped pass pivotal legislation that invested in Ohio infrastructure and education, eliminated the WEP & GPO penalties on public employee pensions. This is why he has a 99% lifetime rating on the AFL-CIO’s congressional scorecard.
In contrast, Jon Husted has pushed divisive legislation, such as bills that would limit the number of international students in college athletics. Husted also believes that higher education is archaic, and that the problem is government funding. At a Senate Health Education and Labor Committee session he explained: “These are two things that the government is most intently involved in, intervening, operating and subsidizing. And yet they are the places we see the most inflation. I think this is particularly true with colleges because the more you give, the more the beast feeds. It just keeps driving up prices.”