Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast following the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Convention in Washington, D.C.
Cropper declared that the AFT is the fastest-growing union in the country, with 1.875 million members. Other topics she discussed included an 86 percent organizing win at the Columbus Metropolitan Library after a six-month wait for an election, AFT Convention resolutions on school funding and child labor, and a clear electoral picture heading into Ohio's governor and U.S. Senate races.
Cropper said the OFT has a 100 percent first-contract rate across all its organized units and is demanding that the library administration come to the table immediately, aiming to reach a first contract within six months.
- The AFT has grown to 1.875 million members and Cropper said it is the fastest-growing union in the country. She attributed the growth to a proven organizing model, the visibility of national president Randi Weingarten and the union's expansion into higher education and healthcare. The AFT is now the second-largest healthcare union in the United States, she added. The AFT’s global reach is a reason why 85 international guests from approximately 40 countries attended the convention, Cropper said.
- Columbus Metropolitan Library workers filed for their election in December 2025, waited six months for a vote and won with 86 percent of the ballot on July 7. During the six months, library employees dealt with a sustained weekly anti-union email campaign from library administration. Cropper said the organizing committee was phenomenal in keeping workers motivated and committed through the full six months, and that OFT filed a demand to bargain the day the results were certified. The union offered to meet any day, at any time, to reach a contract. The OFT has a 100 percent track record across all organized units for signing first contracts in six months.
- Delegates at the AFT Convention passed resolutions on school funding, calling for an end to the diversion of public funds to vouchers and private schools, and on child labor, with an OFT-submitted resolution calling on the ILO, the AFL-CIO and Education International to hold the United States accountable for violations of child labor standards under the current administration. Cropper connected the child labor issue to deaths in meatpacking plants and weak enforcement penalties that make violations financially rational for companies.
The Fastest Growing Union in the Country
Melissa Cropper returned from the AFT convention in Washington D.C. and proudly announced that the American Federation of Teachers now has 1.875 million members. She said it is the fastest-growing union in the country. The Service Employees International Union's return to the AFL-CIO makes the SEIU slightly larger, but the AFT's growth trajectory has been steep. Cropper said the expansion has come not only in education but also in healthcare, where AFT is now the second-largest healthcare union in the United States, and the second-largest in higher education, where organizing has been particularly active in recent years.
Cropper said the growth comes from a proven organizing model, the national visibility of AFT president Randi Weingarten and the labor movement's broader organizing momentum. This year's convention brought 85 international guests from approximately 40 countries, many of whom are navigating the same forces at home that AFT members face in the United States.
Five Pillars of the Fight
Cropper was on a panel the day before the convention opened, discussing the AFT's five fightback pillars with international guests. The five pillars are the legislature, the courts, elections, collective bargaining and community engagement. She spoke in depth to the elections pillar, specifically about how the AFT mobilizes members for electoral work in the United States and how Ohio factors into that picture. She said the conversations with international guests were a reminder that the fights unions are navigating are not unique to any one country.
Convention Resolutions: School Funding and Child Labor
More than 100 resolutions were presented to the convention. Two that Cropper highlighted reflect priorities that have come up repeatedly on this show.
The first was a school funding resolution reaffirming the AFT's commitment to fair funding and its opposition to diverting public education dollars to voucher programs and private schools. Cropper said states like Ohio, where significant sums are being redirected through voucher programs, are why the resolution is necessary. The AFT is committed to holding elected officials accountable for how public school funding is used.
The second was a child labor resolution submitted by the Ohio Federation of Teachers, tied to standards set by the International Labor Organization. Cropper said the United States, under the current administration, has allowed child labor laws to be violated without meaningful enforcement. The resolution called on the ILO, the AFL-CIO and Education International to demand accountability from the United States. As an example, Cropper cited children working in meatpacking plants where deaths have resulted and subsequent fines so small that companies calculate it is worth the risk to ignore the law. Ohio saw a child labor bill pass last year before the governor vetoed it, and a milder version was passed more recently that limits extended hours to weekends with parental approval, she said.
Columbus Metropolitan Library: 86 Percent and Ready to Bargain
The organizing win Cropper was most eager to discuss was the Columbus Metropolitan Library, OFT's largest library unit to date, with just over 600 potential members. Workers filed for their election in December 2025. They waited six months for a vote, a wait Cropper said is absolutely unheard of in her experience with other library campaigns.
During those six months, library administration sent weekly anti-union emails to workers. The organizing committee responded by maintaining constant contact with their colleagues, keeping commitment and motivation throughout the wait. On July 7, the votes were counted. Workers won with 86 percent of the vote.
OFT filed a demand to bargain the same day the results were certified, telling the library administration the union is available to meet on any day, at any time. Cropper said she would like to see a first contract within six months and that the 86 percent margin makes clear workers are not interested in waiting. She also noted that OFT has a 100 percent success rate on first contracts across all its organized units, though some have taken 3 or 4 years to reach because of management delays. She connected those delays to the Faster Labor Contracts Act, which passed the House. Currently, about 50 percent of union election wins nationwide never lead to a first contract, she said, and laws requiring faster timelines are what is needed.
Ohio Elections: A Clear Choice
Cropper turned to the fall elections, announcing that the union’s voter guide is live on the OFT website, oft-aft.org. On the governor's race, she described Dr. Amy Acton as proactively engaged with unions and supportive of collective bargaining, while noting her opponent has been clear about wanting to eliminate teachers’ unions and privatize education. On the U.S. Senate race, she said Sherrod Brown's return is a top priority for organized labor in Ohio, describing him as a once-in-a-generation friend to working people whose loss in the last election was felt across the country.
She also made the case for focusing on certain races in the Ohio House. The OFT sees a real opportunity to break the Republican supermajority in the Ohio House, which would be more significant if Amy Acton wins the governor's race. Without a supermajority, the legislature would not be able to override a pro-labor governor's veto, giving that governor meaningful governing power. Cropper said electing pro-labor, pro-public education candidates to the Ohio House is as important as the statewide races.
More information on the Ohio Federation of Teachers and the OFT voter guide is available at oft-aft.org.
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