Once again, anti-worker Ohio legislators are leading the way to take away the rights of working people to have a strong union voice on the job. And this time they want to use the Ohio Constitution to make the attacks happen.
Republican Reps. John Becker and Craig Riedel have proposed a package of
SIX proposed constitutional amendments targeting union members, including ballot proposals to make Ohio a Right to Work state for both public and private employees.They want these proposals to go before Ohio voters, possibly, in 2020. The State Legislature would have to approve them first.
Rep. John Becker, the union-busting author behind the proposals, said: "We're bringing this to the ballot, and we want the citizens of Ohio to
vote on this so once and for all, we'll get this settled." But the problem is, Ohioans ALREADY said NO to these attacks when they voted down Senate Bill 5 at the polls nearly seven years ago.
OCSEA is urging legislators to oppose any efforts to put Right-to-Work and more on the ballot. Call your state legislator at 800-282-0253 and tell them that voters already said NO when they voted down Senate Bill 5! Or take action HERE!
Becker's plan includes these SIX anti-worker constitutional amendments, including five that target public sector workers:
- Private-sector Right to Work
- Public-sector Right to Work
- Prevailing wage:
- Dues withholding:
- Project Labor Agreements
- Costly annual union re-certification
Below, read a letter to legislators from OCSEA President and We Are Ohio Chairman Chris Mabe urging state legislators to oppose any amendment initiatives that harm workers and union rights:
As Chairman of We Are Ohio, I am writing to ask you not to sign on as a co-sponsor to Representative John Becker's anti-worker legislation and to oppose Rep. Becker's efforts to hurt working families in your district and across Ohio.
Rep. Becker, we believe, is pursuing an anti-worker agenda pushed by out-of-state interests like the Koch brothers, Americans for Prosperity and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
He has outlined six separate constitutional amendments that are all designed to hurt workers, lower wages, decrease safety in the workplace and cause further economic insecurity for the people that you serve.
On behalf of We Are Ohio, I'm asking you to stand for workers in your district and our state and to stand against these out-of-state parties. I'm sure you would agree that Ohio elected officials should represent the people of Ohio, not out of state interests.
We Are Ohio was formed in 2011 when a similar threat to workers' security was passed by the Ohio General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Kasich. We asked the citizens to veto Senate Bill 5 that year and restore collective bargaining rights to public sector employees, and they responded with historic numbers.
Nearly 1.3 million Ohioans signed petitions to put the citizens veto on the ballot, 17,000 Ohioans volunteered for the campaign and, on Election Day, 2.1 million Ohioans voted to veto Senate Bill 5 by a 62-38 margin.
We Are Ohio has remained a force since then. We have held meetings all across the state, have a huge online presence and maintain a database and email list of nearly 1 million voters who agreed with us in 2011.
We believe that the prudent course here is for the legislature to steer away from any anti-worker laws, amendments or ballot initiatives and we ask for your support.
Governor Kasich has acknowledged that such legislation does not attract business to our great state.
I'm respectfully asking you to tell Representative Becker that his ideas are harmful and divisive and that we don't want history to repeat itself.
Sincerely, Christopher Mabe, Chairman - We Are Ohio
Related:
Working People's Day of Action is Feb. 24
Take Action against Right to Work
Right to Work efforts see bipartisan opposition
Some Ohio GOP give Right to Work thumbs up
Ohio Democratic Party: Right to Work is still wrong for Ohio
AFSCME: The false slogan of Right to Work is an attack on worker freedom