KIRTLAND, Ohio – October 12, 2023 – After months of negotiations that included federal mediation and a unanimous strike authorization vote, the Lakeland Faculty Association (LFA) reached a tentative bargaining agreement with Lakeland Community College late Tuesday evening following a marathon 11-hour mediated fact-finding session. The LFA met yesterday and voted to ratify the 3-year deal.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that will help to ensure that Lakeland continues to attract and retain the best and brightest faculty, which is essential to our mission of providing a high-quality education,” said Tobin F. Terry, president of the LFA.
Highlights of the new agreement include:
- increased ability to adapt to changing student needs
- additional support for nursing students and faculty in clinical settings
- a permanent Safety Committee to protect the well-being of students, staff, and faculty
- job security to attract and retain first-rate faculty at Lakeland, benefitting the larger community
The ball now lies in the Lakeland Board of Trustees’ court, who must also ratify the agreement for it to take effect, thereby bringing a formal end to the bargaining process. The Board is scheduled to vote this evening.
“The faculty will be glad to finally put these unnecessarily protracted negotiations behind us,” said LFA Spokesperson Lynne Gabriel. “We want to put our full focus on what we do best: working with our colleagues at the college to educate, encourage, and elevate the students of Lakeland and the citizens of our community.”
The more than 120 educators represented by the Lakeland Faculty Association have been working without a contract since August 16. The LFA’s mission is to maintain and enrich the quality of education at Lakeland College and to promote the professional interests of the faculty of Lakeland through collective action and other appropriate means. The LFA is a proud affiliate of the Ohio Education Association and the National Education Association.