YOUNGSTOWN — The union representing the faculty at Youngstown State University overwhelmingly approved going on strike Saturday.

With 98 percent of the 337 members of the YSU chapter of the Ohio Education Association voting, 86 percent authorized going on strike.

The strike is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Monday unless further negotiations today produce an agreement, Mark Vopat, the union’s spokesman, said. Nine percent of faculty voted against the strike, and 5 percent abstained from voting.

YSU’s fall break is Monday and Tuesday. No classes are scheduled until Wednesday.

“If faculty go on strike, classes will not be disrupted for those two days,” the university said in a web page devoted to students, employees and others.

“If the strike spills into Wednesday, the university will remain open and is making plans to continue to offer classes.”

The web page contained a message from YSU President Jim Tressel sent to faculty Saturday morning about negotiations breaking off Friday without an agreement. On Saturday, the administration asked the union to present a counterproposal.

“We’re still hopeful that we can get together and come to an agreement before (Monday morning), but we want you to have as much information as possible should the faculty decide to strike.

“Let’s remain optimistic,” his letter stated. “You have shown great perseverance through this difficult year and worked hard to overcome many obstacles. We are committed to ensuring that you’ll be able to successfully complete this semester without disruption.”

DEAL STILL POSSIBLE

One more step is needed before the strike can begin, Vopat stated. The Ohio chapter of the Ohio Education Association first must sanction the strike.

Not having classes until Wednesday “gives YSU administration two full days to close a reasonable deal with YSU-OEA so that classes are not disrupted,” he said.

Negotiations between YSU-OEA and YSU administration “have been stymied by (the YSU administration’s) insistence on repeatedly denying the union’s proposals to achieve its stated goals,” the union said.

Those goals are “legal security for YSU’s most vulnerable faculty members,” a “financial proposal that sustains vibrant and engaged faculty who come to work at YSU from across the country and the world,” and the continuation of “processes that have created and supported the excellent programs that YSU offers and which allow faculty to meaningfully contribute to the future of YSU.”

The union added that the administration has given various claims for the amount of deficit it is facing, ranging from $2 million to $3.7 million but “provides no support or explanation for its lack of accountability and transparency in its finances.” It added that such actions cause distrust between the administration and faculty.

STUDENTS REACT

On Friday, freshman YSU student Emily Vero of Bessemer, Pa., and Olivia Saxey of Austintown discussed their plans in the event of a strike.

“We just got used to the swing of the semester,” Vero, said.

The women, both 18, said after prom and graduation altered their senior year because of the pandemic, they anticipate the unknown.

“I just expect things at this point,” Saxey said.

She also noted that while she feels educators deserve higher pay, right now may not be the right time.

Everyone has had to put more effort into their jobs, if people are still fortunate to have employment during the pandemic, Saxey said.

Vero echoed the thought, adding the university doesn’t have additional money to provide raises during the pandemic. Vero, who works on campus, said she was told she would still have to report to work, crossing the picket line.

CLASSIFIED UNION

The university and its classified staff union reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract Friday.

The tentative agreement with the YSU Association for Classified Employees will now go before the ACE membership and the YSU Board of Trustees for formal ratification.

“We thank the leaders of the ACE union for their respectful and reasonable efforts on behalf of our students and the entire university community,” Tressel said Friday. “From the very beginning of this challenging COVID-19 pandemic, the leadership and membership of this group have worked extremely hard in a cooperative way to help the university and our students.”

The pact calls for essentially the same economic terms rejected by the faculty union, the university stated in a press release.

STRIKE PLAN

The website for students, faculty and others tells students that if there is a strike, they still will have access to a system called Blackboard that allows students and faculty to participate in classes delivered online or use online materials and activities to complement face-to-face teaching.

The university website states that clinical experiences, teaching and internships will continue without interruption during a strike. Graduate assistants and fellows also will be able to continue their work during a strike.

“The University plans to remain open during the strike,” the website states. “Youngstown State will operate under normal hours of operation and class schedule. All graduate assistants, graduate research assistants, graduate assistant interns, teaching assistants and student employees are to come to work as scheduled and continue to work if a strike is called.”

Department heads will serve in the supervisory role in a strike, and fall graduation will probablly not be impacted, the website states. “If necessary, the university will communicate any changes to the campus community via email.”

The university is not anticipating that the semester would have to be extended in the event of a strike, and facilities will be “open and available to students for research and scholarly work.”

erunyan@tribtoday.com