ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio — At least 3,800 Athens County employees belong to unions. That number’s grown by about 1,000 in just the past few years, through a combination of the new 800-strong faculty union at Ohio University and smaller organizing efforts.
Most of the largest groupings of unionized employees in the county are at educational institutions, according to records available via the State Employee Relations Board, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Office of Labor-Management Standards.
At Ohio University, about 800 employees are represented by the new faculty union, while another 800 belong to other bargaining units. About 300 employees at Athens City Schools belong to unions. Additionally, about 170 unionized at Alexander Local Schools alongside 141 at Nelsonville-York; 137 at Federal Hocking Local Schools; 106 at Trimble; and 75 at Tri-County Career Center.
About 115 Athens city employees belong to unions, as do 43 Nelsonville employees.
In the private sector, about 350 are unionized at O’Bleness Hospital.
Below, the Independent provides a look at some recent labor organizing initiatives in the county, providing updates where we can.
Ohio University faculty union
Ohio University faculty voted overwhelmingly to unionize in an election that wrapped up in March 2025, the culmination of a years-long organizing process. The university has a lawsuit pending against the State Employee Relations Board, challenging the board’s certification of the union election.
The union, United Academics of Athens County, represents approximately 800 OU faculty members.
OU and UAOU began contract negotiations in August 2025. Over a year later, the university and union have reached tentative agreement on 16 of 27 proposed articles in the contract, according to a UAOU bargaining tracker. However, the union and university have yet to reach agreement on some of the most important articles in the contract, including compensation.
OU responded to the union’s Oct. 29, 2025, proposal on compensation just last week, on Aug. 26.
The union had proposed increasing pay by 4% each year in the contract period along with annual increases by specific dollar amounts. The union said in an Aug. 26 bargaining update that its proposal “would have increased average salaries by over 8% annually over three years, bringing faculty pay at OU in line with our in-state peers.”
OU proposed only 2% pay increases with a one-time ratification bonus. The bonus would not increase base salaries going forward, while pay increases would not keep pace with current inflation rates.
Rachel Terman, an associate professor of sociology and member of the bargaining committee, said the university’s proposal fits into a longer pattern of OU “devaluing faculty over time.”
“This feels like a combination of disrespect and not paying us what we’re worth, and devaluing the university again,” Terman said. “Ultimately, everyone who’s involved in the university wants it to succeed, and we want to have a really great educational experience for students here. … We want to be able to do our jobs well and feel supported at the university.”
Matt deTar, an associate professor in the School of Communication Studies, called OU’s proposal on compensation “truly laughable” and “disingenuous.”
“They know we’re not going to accept it,” deTar said. “So we’re spinning our wheels here. We’re supposed to negotiate against something that they don’t actually mean. It’s a waste of time.”
OU Senior Director of Communications Dan Pittman told the Independent in an email, “We believe our responses represent responsible, good-faith positions within an ongoing negotiation.”
“While there is still work to be done before a final collective bargaining agreement is reached, the University remains actively engaged in the bargaining process and focused on reaching a contract that supports faculty, advances OHIO’s academic mission and contributes to long-term institutional success,” Pittman said.
DeTar said the lengthy process of negotiations and the university’s response to faculty demands has been “increasing frustration, increasing anger at the administration, and decreasing morale generally.” However, he said he remains confident in the UAOU bargaining team and that “faculty frustration and anger will eventually put enough pressure on the administration that they make a fair deal.”
“We on the table team know that faculty are expecting much more than that [OU’s compensation proposal], and we’re gonna fight hard to get as much as we can,” Terman said.
UAOU will hold a rally to advocate “for a strong first contract” at noon Wednesday, Sept. 9, on OU’s College Green, according to its website.
Athens County Public Libraries
Athens County Public Libraries staff requested voluntary recognition for their union in July 2024, after 72% of eligible employees signed union cards. The library system’s board then voted to recognize the union Aug. 1, 2024.
The number one issue employees cited as a motivating force in their organizing at the time was pay. Employees also cited involvement in decision making and protections, such as in discipline.
A union bargaining committee and the library administration agreed to a union contract earlier this year, which went into effect June 7.
A June press release from the Ohio Federation of Teachers said the union had made significant gains for employees, including on issues of pay, paid time off, paid parental leave, guaranteed raises, and protections against unfair discipline.
“It was a heavy lift to finalize our contract and make progress on the issues that are most important to our coworkers,” Andrea Anderson, a Youth Services Librarian at Glouster Public Library and member of the ACPLU bargaining committee, said in the press release. “This is exactly why we formed our union, so we can have a seat at the table and collectively address problems in our library system.”
The contract established a minimum pay rate for librarian and technician positions of $20 per hour, and a minimum rate of $16.80 for library associate and assistant positions. The agreement also bumped hourly pay for all members by 80 cents, to be followed by a 5% annual raise in the first year and a 3.5% increase for the next two years.
The raises replace what the union’s press release described as “‘merit raises’ that were awarded subjectively.”
ACPL Director Nick Tepe told the Independent in an email that the negotiation process ensured “both sides seriously considered and took their time with the proposals that were brought to the table.”
“Now that we have a contract, there are clear guidelines for how we work together, and it is my hope that this will allow us to work together for a stronger library and a stronger community,” Tepe added.
Communications Officer Becca Lachman told the Independent in an email that “there’s a renewed sense of possibility” now that a contract is in place.
Union organizers did not respond to the Independent’s Sept. 1 request for comment.
Hopewell Health Centers
Two employee unions have formed at Hopewell Health Centers since 2022. The first group of about 30 therapists and case managers at the agency’s Columbus Road location voted to unionize in October 2022. A second group of about 50 therapists, community psychiatric supportive treatment providers, and peer support specialists at the agency’s Hospital Drive location voted to unionize in May 2024.
In March 2025, all full-time and regular part-time crisis intervention pre-screeners at the 90 Hospital Drive location voted to join that union, according to National Labor Relations Board records.
Employees who previously spoke with the Independent cited low pay, unreasonable productivity requirements, and a lack of transparency as the main drivers of their union campaign.
AFSCME Ohio Council 8 Athens Regional Vice President Patricia Senters told the Independent in an emailed statement that Hopewell workers had won their contract. An AFSCME communications representative did not respond to a Sept. 2 follow-up from the Independent asking for more details on the contract.
Agency Director Mark Bridenbaugh did not respond to the Independent’s Sept. 1 email request for comment.
Minuteman Press
This spring, local employees of Minuteman Press on West Washington Street unionized with the Communication Workers of America. The Athens business is among more than 1,000 locations across five countries,
Eva Bloom, who owns the press company, told the Independent in May that employees were previously members of the Graphic Communications Conference until former owner William Bowers sold the business to Bloom last year.
Lacking union membership after the sale, employees then considered their options.
“The reason we ended up with Communication Workers of America specifically is because they had some really great additional benefits for the team,” said Bloom, who is not a member of the union.
Wayne National Forest
More than 50 workers at the Wayne National Forest voted this April to unionize with the National Federation of Federal Employees, a century-old labor union representing more than 110,000 federal employees nationwide.
“These men and women play a critical role in stewarding one of Ohio’s premier recreation sites, and they deserve a seat at the table when it comes to their working conditions and job protections,” Randy Erwin, the union’s national president, said in April.
The NFFE noted that early conversations about joining the union began among employees in late 2024.
One month after workers at Wayne voted to unionize, the Bureau of Land Management approved permits for three new fracking wells on forest land in Monroe County. (The Wayne is the state’s only national forest, spanning 12 counties and more than 244,000 acres.)
An agency of the Department of the Interior, the bureau also plans to lease more than 2,800 acres in the forest for oil and gas drilling in September.
Several environmental organizations issued a legal challenge to the fracking permits this July, arguing that the government violated a 2021 injunction barring the land agency from approving new permit applications.
OhioHealth Nelsonville
The National Labor Relations Board will hold an election in Nelsonville on Tuesday, Sept. 15 to determine if about 14 OhioHealth employees will be represented by the local chapter of the International Union of Operating Engineers.
