Ohio labor group scores major coup in Right to Work battle

Right to Work supporters were handed a significant blow this month when Ohio labor groups crashed signature gathering efforts at polling stations across the state.

Organized around 20 counties that carry substantial Tea Party support, Keep Ohio’s Heritage, the IUOE Local 18 union-backed advocacy group, hired professional signature gatherers to counteract the tent-pole signature effort planned by Right to Work proponents.

Monitoring roughly 200 polls, Keep Ohio’s Heritage handed out short, four-point flyers entitled “Think before you sign” to anyone Right to Work supporters were targeting for signatures. Due to these efforts, the labor group was able to sway roughly 75 percent of potential signees.

“It felt great to go directly to the voters and show them why ‘Workplace Freedom’ is bad for Ohio,” said Pat Sink, Ohio’s IUOE Local 18’s business manager. “This tactic was proven to be extremely effective and presents a great opportunity for us to educate voters in the future.”

Ohioans for Workplace Freedom, a Right to Work advocacy group, have been gathering signatures for over a year and a half in hopes of forcing a Right to Work amendment to ballot. Despite their best efforts, so far they say they have signed 100,000.

Yet, early estimates put Ohioans for Workplace Freedom well short of that number. The advocacy group would need a minimum of 385,247 valid signatures to get a measure placed on the ballot.

With the recent success at the polls, Keep Ohio’s Heritage plans to employ this tactic in the future.

Last week, a federal judge ruled that the state cannot enforce a ban against non-Ohioans circulating petitions within the state, allowing Right to Work groups to hire out-of-state agencies to gather signatures and circulate petitions.

According to “The Columbus Dispatch,” the proposed amendment Ohioans for Workplace Freedom is advocating for states, “No law, rule, agreement or arrangement shall require any person or employer to become or remain a member of a labor organization.” The amendment also states that no one could be forced to pay dues or an assessment as part of a labor agreement.

“One of the important things to learn from this effort is that a little education goes a long way,” said Sink.

To keep voters informed on the dangers of Right-to-Work, the IUOE Local 18 union-backed advocacy group Keep Ohio’s Heritage has been running ads on cable and network television designed to educate voters on the issue.

Opponents of the Right to Work laws, sometimes called “Workplace Freedom” in Ohio, contend that the initiative’s true purpose is to kill unions and worker protections, leading to a weaker middle class.

Stripping workers of their rights and freedoms would allow business owners to lower worker pay, reduce worker benefits and ignore worker rights.

For more information on the Right to Work and “Workplace Freedom” movements, please visit the website, www.protectohiosmiddleclass.org.

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