KIRTLAND, Ohio – September 22, 2023 – The Lakeland Faculty Association (LFA) voted unanimously last night to authorize their bargaining team to issue a 10-day strike notice. The vote comes after failed mediation and the initiation of statutory Fact-Finding with Lakeland Community College.
LFA President Tobin F. Terry, a member of the LFA bargaining team, outlined the union’s goals. “We’re fighting for the tools and the capacity to provide students the best chance at success in our modern society. This means providing faculty the opportunity to give more individualized attention in clinicals and recognizing the time and effort needed for those same faculty to find and hire quality clinical instructors to teach our nursing students. We’re fighting to retain and recruit the best educators by creating a workplace that acknowledges professionalism and provides job security, competitive wages, and affordable quality benefits because when faculty leave Lakeland for better working environments, it hurts students and our whole community.” The LFA’s platform also includes increased campus safety and security to protect the well-being of its members and their students. To date, the College has rejected the LFA’s proposal. “Clearly, the College’s top decision-makers have lost touch with this community’s values,” said Terry.
At the meeting, members also discussed that the LFA has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against College President Morris Beverage for an attempt to intimidate Terry at a recent campus event. “While we continue to work for a fair contract, the administration has unfortunately resorted to bully tactics in a misguided attempt to silence us,” said Terry. “We filed an unfair labor practice complaint to hold President Beverage accountable for his unacceptable conduct.”
“The vote tonight is a vote of confidence in our bargaining team and our fight for the student-focused, high-quality education our faculty provide each day,” said Lynne Gabriel, LFA spokesperson. She continued, “Of course we don’t want to strike, but our students, faculty and community deserve a contract that invests in classroom priorities and fosters a supportive learning environment.”
The LFA’s collective bargaining agreement with the College expired on August 15. The LFA can file the Notice of Intent to Strike or Picket with the State Employment Relations Board any time after the Fact-Finding process has concluded.
The Lakeland Faculty Association is the union representing more than 120 educators employed by Lakeland Community College. 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.