In 1933, the national officers of the American Federation of Teachers at a meeting in Springfield, Ohio, stated that the Ohio State Federation of Teachers should serve as a real test as to whether or not state federations were desirable and practical. Thus, the Ohio State Federation of Teachers, as we were originally called, was to be established on an experimental basis.

On May 26, 1934, the first Ohio State Federation of Teachers convention was held in Springfield. Irvin Kuenzli, president of the Springfield Federation of Teachers was elected the first OSFT president. Subsequently, in 1936, Kuenzli would become the secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers. He would hold that position with AFT until 1953.

Also at that first convention, Clyde E. Kiker of Toledo was elected the first executive secretary. He opened an OSFT office at 721 Ohio Building in Toledo.

In 1935, Kiker would be fired from the Toledo schools by the Toledo superintendent without a hearing. Among the charges against Kiker was that of "radicalism." An eighteen month struggle followed in which the Toledo Federation with the help of the Toledo Labor Movement sought to get him reinstated. This was achieved in 1936 by a 4-1 vote of the Toledo Board of Education.

The early OSFT was apparently funded by a financial quota system agreed to by the locals and levied on the locals by themselves.

The OFT can thus claim to be the first "active" bona fide state federation in the AFT.

The chief focus of the fledgling state federation centered around legislative action and organizing new locals.

Emphasis of the early OSFT was on two legislative goals:

1. To establish a state income tax to fund public education. A state income tax would not be achieved until the administration of Governor Gilligan in the 1970s. In 1935, the state legislature did pass a one cent increase in the sales tax to fund schools in the midst of the Great Depression. However, because of the depression, OSFT had to seek legislation to force collection of delinquent taxes locally and statewide and to insure scrip in lieu of money for teacher salaries.
2. To establish a teacher tenure law in Ohio. This was considered OSFT's most important and first priority. Michael J. Eck of Cleveland, Ray Lowry of Toledo (who served as AFT National President in 1934-35), Clyde Kiker of Toledo and Irvin Kuenzli of AFT drafted such a bill in 1937. It is interesting to note that the current Ohio teacher tenure laws conforms to the basic ideas set forth in the Federation's proposal.

It is also reported that in 1936, the Ohio State Federation of Teachers called for the following:

• An end to the state superintendent's power to revoke a teacher's license at will.
• Collective bargaining rights for teachers. This was far in advance of AFT's official policy supporting collective bargaining rights.
• Abolishment of board of education exams
• Higher professional standards and revision of certification laws.
• Ten-month school year - this at a time when the National Manufacturers Association was calling for reduction in the school year and to limit elementary schooling to six years and secondary education to only 3 years.

The early Ohio State Federation of Teachers claimed 13 locals with 5,000 members. AFT at this time was claiming 25,000 members nationally, Thus, one of every five AFT members was in Ohio.

Ohio was chartered by AFT on February 26, 1938.

E. Glenn Baxter of Elyria local #334 was the first OFT president under the new charter.

Michael J. Eck of Cleveland #279, the first OFT executive secretary, was paid $75.00 per month. Eck was also an AFT vice president.

In 1939, the fledgling OFT claimed 6,000 members in 26 locals. It should be noted that 6 of the locals were Federation locals established under the Works Progress Administration. When WPA ended, so did these locals.

1. AFT locals in Ohio faced the dilemma of determining what their relationship should be to the Ohio Education Association. AFT did not mandate that its locals affiliate with the state federation. Records show that even in May 1948, there were 10 AFT locals in Ohio not affiliated with OFT.

   Additionally, AFT locals could join OFT, or OEA or both. In the early years, a number of OFT locals formed an AFT caucus at OEA conventions. However, OFT locals in the OEA had difficulties with OEA on a number of issues such as:

   • Teacher tenure. OEA dragged its feet on this issue since administrators were members and leaders in the OEA at the time.
   • School funding. OFT in the 1940's continued to call for a state income tax to fund public education. OEA called for no new taxes.
   • Collective bargaining for teachers. OEA couldn't even say the words.

   It was not until 1968 that AFT required locals to affiliate with the state federation, and 1969 to affiliate with state and local AFL-CIO.

2. The dilemma of balancing state and local needs. In the early years, teachers collective bargaining was still just an idea; locals had to struggle just to exist. Many found it hard to balance local needs with those of the state federation. Some felt it was more important to hire their own local full time staff before hiring state full time staff. Membership and revenue were in a state of flux in the state but also in many locals. The problem of allocation of resources often led to heated debate and fraternal discussion within the OFT. From the vantage of hindsight, it can be seen that out the controversies came good faith efforts to resolve problems.

In its early years, OFT worked to organize new locals and to involve itself in political and legislative action. This work was performed by OFT officers who at the same time were often teaching full time. Early lobbying efforts usually consisted of local leaders getting together in car pools and driving at the end of the school day to the Ohio General Assembly in Columbus. This was necessary because of lack of finances during the depression and the rationing of gasoline that took place during the Second World War. After lobbying in Columbus in the evening hours, OFT leaders then drove the long distance home so they could meet their classes the next school day.

Although the OFT sought state legislation to improve teaching conditions and advance educational opportunities for students it also stressed local action,. Thus, OFT locals, even before the establishment of a state collective bargaining statute, were able through political action and negotiations with local boards of education to achieve substantive accomplishments. As examples, OFT locals were the first in Ohio's public school districts to establish group hospitalization and accident insurance for teachers, paid holidays, accumulated sick leave, right of teachers to a hearing on discipline matters, a single salary schedule for men and women teachers, leaves of absence for childbirth, rescinding of rules against married women teachers, establishment of credit unions for school employees, severance pay for teachers, election of department chairpersons, extra pay for extra duties, due process protection for limited contract teachers, school transfer policies based on seniority, grievance and arbitration procedures, protection from loyalty oaths, regular posting of vacancies, nuclear leave, recognition for military service on salary schedules, sabbatical leave with pay, and the organization of paraprofessionals and negotiation of a contract for them.

As early as 1953, it had been suggested that OFT hire a full-time organizer but the idea was dropped for lack of funds. In 1962, Russel Scott, OFT president from Oregon, #1080, called for increased dues to employ both a full-time officer and a full-time organizer.

In October 1965, OFT hired its first organizer, George Stragisher, and opened a small office at 16 East Broad Street in Columbus.

In July 1966, Stanton Bloom and Ken Miesen were hired as OFT organizers. In 1967, Miesen and Bloom resigned to take other positions, and John Creatura and Fred Skelton were hired as OFT field representatives.

Between 1965-1967, 21 new OFT locals were chartered; however, it must be remembered that this was still essentially pre-collective bargaining days, unionism was not popular with the public, the OEA with administrative help was well entrenched in many school districts, and OFT locals were, with a couple of exceptions, minority locals. One of the major problems facing OFT was how to preserve and maintain such locals. A pattern developed in which many locals had only a short-lived existence.

In 1978, OFT President Ron Marec was elected a vice president of the Ohio AFL-CIO, the first teacher chosen to serve on the state labor federation's executive board. In 1979, the OFT established the president as its first full-time state officer. Shortly thereafter, the OFT began to develop a new method of organizing local unions, the affiliation change strategy. The results of the new organizing method have been productive. Whereas, the OFT had some 41 locals of which only a half dozen were bargaining locals, in 1988 OFT had 39 local units, but 30 were bargaining locals, nearly half of which had been achieved through the affiliation change method. Thus, the new strategy has given OFT much more stability and financial resources.

In 1978, the OFT consciously sought to improve its lobbying efforts by reaching out and forming legislative coalitions. One of the first such efforts was the Large Cities Coalition, consisting of OFT, its locals in the major cities and management representatives of the large city school districts. This effort helped to revitalize the Coalition of Educational Organizations, a coalition of the ten state education organizations - the State Department of Education, Ohio PTA, BASA, OASBO, OEA, OAPSE, OFT, OSBA, OASSA, OAESA, and the Ohio Catholic Conference. The efforts of the CEO have been effective not only in improving state school funding, but developing cooperative efforts on a number of other educational issues.

When the educational reform movement swept the nation in the mid-1980's, the American Federation of Teachers was in the forefront of the movement. In Ohio, the OFT was also deeply involved in seeking educational excellence. The OFT pushed for upgrading the Ohio Teacher Education and Certification Standards, the establishment of a teacher forgivable loan program to attract outstanding candidates to the profession, state funding of career ladder pilot projects, and extension of the teacher forgivable loan program declaring minority teachers a critical shortage area.

On the local level, OFT locals in Youngstown, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Toledo and Port Clinton pioneered Dial-A-Teacher Programs in Ohio to aid students with homework in after-school hours. Cleveland established the state's first Dial-A -Colleague Program; and Toledo followed by Cincinnati and Port Clinton, initiated beginning teacher intern programs. Toledo also established the nation's first intervention program were experienced teachers having severe problems are identified and assigned to experienced teachers. The State of Ohio's first career ladder pilot project in a local school district was initiated in Toledo as well. And in Cleveland Heights and Toledo, employee assistance programs were established.

George Taylor, OFT's Health and Retirement Consultant, urged on/and supported by retired teacher members, achieved legislation for payment of a yearly 13th check to State Teachers Retirement System retirees from interest earnings of the retirement system. The 13th check is probably the most popular benefit received by STRS retirees. Working with Governor Richard Celeste, the OFT also achieved legislation that allows local school districts to offer Early Retirement Incentive Plans.

in 1987, the OFT successfully lobbied to include within the state budget career enhancement pilot projects for teachers including career ladders. Of the six pilot districts, five were from OFT -- Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Arlington and Berea. A 1994 Legislative Office of Education Oversight Report gave strong support to career ladder and peer review programs over traditional merit pay schemes. Unfortunately, state funding for the project was discontinued.

The OFT and its locals were early advocates and supporters of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and nationally certified teachers. OFT helped to establish with Governor George Voinovich state paid assessment costs ($2000 per teacher) for those seeking national certification and $2,500 per year supplements for those teachers successfully achieving national certification. The Cincinnati Public Schools and the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers have been national leaders in the number of local teachers achieving certification.

In 1990, OFT successfully supported legislation that allowed for the establishment of local school district forgivable loan programs for new teacher recruitment, especially minorities, but which also declared that union supported peer review programs were not an unfair labor practice. At the time, OEA did not support peer review and vowed to do all it could to defeat the OFT supported bill. Called "David vs. Goliath" in Ohio's newspapers, the OFT prevailed in the Ohio Senate 16-15. Although the vote was close, it destroyed OEA's claim to superiority.

As a part of the BEST Coalition in the mid-1990's OFT was instrumental in putting forth a First Things First agenda which called for state funding of all day, every day kindergarten, especially for at-risk students; class size reduction in at-risk schools to one teacher per twelve-fifteen students; full-funding of head start; and an end to social promotion.

In the last half of the 1990's decade, the OFT and its locals found themselves fighting to preserve and achieve real educational reform and at the same time defend public education from utra-conservative attacks which seek to destroy public schools through vouchers, privatization of so-called community schools and inadequate school funding. To protect public education, OFT has had to resort to the courts. And, in the courts, we have held our own as exemplified by our financial support of Gatton et. al. v. Selman, et. al and our amicus briefs in the DeRolph>/i> case.

In our highlights, public relations must be mentioned. In 1998, OFT President Marec served as co-chair with State Senator Ben Espy in the Vote No on State Issue 2 Campaign. With assistance from Organized Labor and the K-12 education community, by an 80% to 20% vote, an Ohio historic record, the proposed increase in the state sales tax which was supported by Big Business interests was defeated. The Coalition Against Issue 2 saw it as an inadequate response to Ohio's school funding needs. Further, it was felt it could have turned into a Lottery II nemesis.

Finally, the decade of the 90's came to an end with the great Rally for Public Education which occurred on October 23, 1999, at the State Capitol. It illustrated that public education was still the preferred system of education in Ohio.