Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about organizing campaigns in 2024. Cropper also talked about the organization’s biennial convention and the success of Literacy Across Ohio Day.
The Kaleidoscope Youth Center is the most recent successful organizing effort for the OFT. Recent organizing efforts have been fairly successful for OFT. Unfortunately, not all campaigns have been as simple as the Kaleidoscope’s campaign for Cropper’s team. She talked about the situation at Upper Arlington Public Library, where the employer is actively fighting back against the unionization efforts.
The Biennial convention for the OFT begins later this week. The two-and-a-half-day convention will focus on a “Union Strong” message. Work from Locals across the state will be featured, along with several speakers leading the convention in discussions on the future of OFT. Cropper discussed the goals for the convention and how it can be used to create better teachers in Ohio.
The OFT recently held a statewide Literacy Across Ohio Day on Saturday, Feb. 3. The campaign provided resources and professional development for teachers at all levels. Ohio requires yearly professional development, and after speaking with their members, they created a professional development plan to provide the development activity to improve teachers’ ability to improve students' literacy and understanding. Cropper talked about the program's future after the success of this year’s single-day development campaign.
Hear more from Cropper by listening to the show above.