Ohio Ass'n of Public School Employees, Local 530 v. State Employment Relations Board

**Union's Public Statements During Contract Talks Ruled as Bad Faith Bargaining** This case involved a dispute between a school employees union and the Springfield Local School District over how the union communicated with the public during contract negotiations. The union had made public statements and issued press releases criticizing the school district's bargaining positions while negotiations were ongoing. The State Employment Relations Board (SERB) ruled this conduct violated Ohio's requirement that both sides bargain in good faith, and ordered the union to stop this behavior. The union challenged SERB's decision in court, arguing their public statements were protected free speech under the First Amendment. However, the appeals court disagreed and sided with SERB. The court found that while unions generally have free speech rights, making public statements that undermine ongoing negotiations constitutes bad faith bargaining under Ohio law. The court ruled that labor law restrictions on this type of conduct during negotiations don't violate the First Amendment. **What this means for workers:** Union members should understand that during contract negotiations, their union's public communications strategy can affect the bargaining process. While unions can advocate publicly for workers, certain types of public statements made during active negotiations may be considered bad faith bargaining and could harm the union's position.