Earlier this month, the cooks, custodians, maintenance and technology staff at the Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical School in Ohio went on strike for fair wages and respect.
Their fight to be recognized for the critical work they do to keep the vocational school running has been a long one.
First, the workers knew they needed to form a union.
When a new leadership team took over in 2023, what followed was unfair changes in workplace policies, a drastic hike in health insurance costs for workers and other punitive measures that seemed to emphasize control over collaboration.
Time and time again, when the workers asked for input on new policies, management told them they could do whatever they wanted since the workers were non-union.
“Management didn’t inform us of a new position being posted and said it was because we were non-union,” said Mike Dulin, maintenance lead at the career center and president of Local 686. “We went from a traditional insurance plan to a high deductible plan and still had high premiums. Management told us we can’t have a say in that because we are non-union. So, we fixed that.”
In October 2023, the workers joined the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4) as Local 686.
Since forming their union, the 27-member bargaining unit has been battling to negotiate their first contract.
“Every meeting [of management and the bargaining team] was just combat,” said Dulin. “From the very beginning. The bargaining unit was defined by the State Employee Relations Board, but [management] wanted to argue over that, and on and on. Even when we made things more palatable for them, it was like ‘no, no, no.’”
Eventually, after two mediation sessions, both sides agreed to a state-appointed neutral fact finder. When the fact finder’s report, which was issued in December 2024, confirmed that the raises the workers asked for were comparable to their peers and fiscally responsible, management rejected the report. That’s when the unit decided to strike.
“I keep the heat and A/C on, keep the building clean and running, keep up with maintenance requests and work orders. You gotta bring your A-game every day,” added Dulin. “So if you want people to do the job and do it well, you’ve got to be paying people fairly.”
Now, Local 686 members are fighting for their futures and so their employer finally sees their worth. They’ve received wide-spread community support as well as solidarity from the Ohio Education Association and AFSCME Council 8.
“I’m so thankful for the support of my other union brothers and sisters,” said Dulin. “Let’s treat people right, let’s stand together, let’s get involved and we will all win together.”