MONTPELIER, Ohio — At the end of September, teachers in the Montpelier Exempted Village School District voted to leave the Ohio Education Association (OEA) and the National Education Association (NEA). The vote was 45 to 10, or 82 percent of ballots cast. Unfortunately, the OEA has continued to fight the outcome, with the result pending review by the State Employment Relations Board (SERB).
Back in April 2026, a super-majority of the district’s more than 70 teachers filed a petition asking for an election. The OEA answered with a series of objections, arguing that the new local organization the teachers wanted to form would not be a legitimate organization and wasn’t independent from the district. SERB heard those objections and dismissed them, clearing the way for the September vote.
Montpelier teacher Megan Hill described what the fight looked like earlier this year in an op-ed for the Buckeye Reporter.
Getting to a vote in the first place took months. Six weeks later, teachers are still waiting for the OEA to come to terms with the result. Instead of conceding gracefully, the OEA continues its delay tactics, taking the same objections SERB dismissed and refiling them as an unfair labor practice charge.
The Center for Independent Employees (CIE) has worked with Montpelier’s teachers through the full process, from the filing of the initial petition to the vote and addressing the OEA’s antics.
“These teachers made their decision months ago, but the union has used every trick in the book trying to protect its own interests. We are proud to fight alongside Montpelier’s teachers and will continue to provide legal support to help them obtain their hard-won independence from the national teachers’ union,” said Kelley LaBedz, CIE’s General Counsel, Educational Services.
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The Center for Independent Employees (CIE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation and assistance to independent employees who are opposed to union oppression in their workplaces.
To support CIE’s mission, you may donate online or call (800) 797-4502.