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Wright State faculty union votes to authorize strike

By Breaking News Staff and Max Filby
By Breaking News Staff and Max Filby

FAIRBORN — The union representing Wright State faculty members voted Sunday to authorize a strike, which is set to begin next Tuesday.

Members of the American Association of University Professors, Wright State chapter, voted Sunday with 85 percent of members supporting authorizing a strike, the union said in a media release Monday morning.

» RELATED: Faculty strike could impact Wright State’s enrollment, finances

The strike is set to begin at 8 a.m. Jan. 22, according to a notice filed with the State Employment Relations Board last week.

“Our faculty are standing together to uphold the principle that public education serves the public good,” Marty Kich, President of AAUP-WSU said in the release. “We want to preserve faculty’s role in making decisions about the University.”

While the notice to strike was previously filed by the union, the authorization of the strike was dependent on a vote from the union’s members, according to union officials.

Kich said he expects union members from around the state will be joining WSU faculty on the picket line next week. There are around 560 faculty members in the union of around 1,700 faculty total at Wright State.

» RELATED: Wright State faculty union files ‘unfair labor practice’ complaint

“The fact that we got that percentage to vote and more than three quarters voted to authorize the strike is very telling,” Kich said.

In a prepared statement, WSU spokesman Seth Bauguess said the school is “disappointed” the AAUp-WSU voted to authorize a strike.

“The university has negotiated in good faith for nearly two years. We have done everything in our power to avoid a strike, and provide our students with a high quality education,” Bauguess said in a prepared statement.

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