The strike began on January 22, 2019, after nearly two years of failed contract negotiations between the AAUP and the Wright State University administration.
University President Cheryl B. Schrader received widespread criticism for her handling of the strike and stepped down from her position as a result.
Schrader entered the position of President of Wright State on July 1, 2017, after a time of financial and political turmoil at the school.
[8] However, controversy arose when the university released a statement implying she had declined to accept an annual raise or bonus, when in fact neither had been offered.
One member of the Wright State University Board of Trustees called her proposed 2019 fiscal year budget "a recipe for disaster.
[17] Members of the Wright State Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) were particularly strident in their criticism of the handling of the budget.
[18] Tensions publicly erupted after a closed-door negotiating session in January 2018 when hundreds of faculty and students marched across campus to an open budget forum hosted by Schrader.
At a February demonstration, a professor characterized the budget modifications as a "budget-cutting spree" that protects "extreme salaries and bloat of the upper administration" and "slashes" the core mission of the university.
[8][28][29] Several hundred faculty protested the stalled contract negotiations at the October 19 meeting of the Wright State Board of Trustees.
[21] In a January 6 statement, Schrader described the employment terms as "fair" and said "we can return to the bargaining table when the university is back on solid financial footing.
"[47] When the strike began, Schrader kept the university running, instructing students to "go to class,"[48] even as an online petition called for her resignation.
Some students said they felt betrayed by the university;[36] others expressed concern about the effect the strike was having on the reputation of the institution and how it would affect the value of their degree.
"[56] A number of students joined the picket lines alongside the faculty,[57] although they were reportedly discouraged from doing so by threats against their financial aid.
[60][61] Throughout the strike, Schrader and the administration continued to publicly downplay the impact it was having on the university, maintaining that 80 percent of classes were covered.
On the third day of the strike, Schrader stated the university was "open and operating largely without issue,"[64] in spite of the widespread student complaints.
That same day her administration filed a complaint with the Ohio State Employee Relations Board (SERB) asking that the strike be declared illegal.
[68] While the university offered advising sessions to affected students,[68] the faculty union asked Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to intervene, citing a belief that the administration was "losing touch with reality.