Issue 2 will make this year’s off-season election anything but run-of-the-mill. On Nov. 8, Ohio voters will decide on the controversial law, championed by Gov. John Kasich and originally passed by the GOP-dominated Legislature as Senate Bill 5, to dramatically restrict the collective bargaining rights of the state’s public workers.
If you are a resident of Ohio who owns or rents a home, has a radio, phone or TV… the political circus has just begun its 30 day push as outside dollars flow in by the millions to bolster campaign coffers on both sides. A saturation blitz of TV ads, door-to-door canvassing and phone calls is already being unleashed on voters.
“I think a lot of people are going to be very surprised about the intensity of this campaign,” said John Green, the executive director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron. “An incredible amount of money is going to be spent on this.”
Just like in every presidential election, this debate will likely come down to a street fight between motivated Ohioans.
Busting up the Unions
At its core, SB5 alters collective bargaining by changing what’s open for negotiations. It puts more power in the hands of the managers by restricting what can be bargained for. For example, health care costs can’t be negotiated. Employees will pay at least 15 percent of their premiums.
Rob Nichols, a Kasich spokesman, said the governor champions the bill because it will help make Ohio more competitive and help local governments get costs under control.
“Once Ohioans understand it’s built in common sense, they will see that it’s absolutely necessary if local governments are to lower their costs and keep taxes down,” Nichols said.
But what SB5 proponents see as necessary and common sense, public employees see as a direct attack on the middle class. They say it will lower standards of living – and pave the way for public unions’ eventual elimination.
A Game of Numbers
The anti-SB5 side, has a number of advantages over their opponents in the campaign. Its “regular people”, not businessmen or politicians that are on the bleeding edge of this issue. Signatures to put Issue 2 on this November’s ballot were placed there by Ohio’s working class, teachers, police and firemen.
What is interesting about Issue 2 is that no other state politician of note has come out in support of it. Where opponents number in the thousands, Governor Kasich is the sole public champion for Issue 2’s passage. This may be one of the reasons why Kasich’s public approval rating is hovering around 35%. In recent days the Governor has extended a hand out to public unions to have “discussions” about Issue 2. Those requests by the Governor to meet have not been met with any great welcome by Ohio’s union leaders. Opponents of Issue 2 would much rather seek a sound defeat of SB5 than any negotiated truce.
A Quinnipiac University poll from July showed that 56 percent of those surveyed wanted to kill SB5 while 32 percent want to keep the law in place. There is an obvious partisan split, with the majority of Democrats wanting repeal and Republicans wanting to keep the law in place.
Campaigns Mobilizing
Both sides have run TV ads, and campaign offices are opening across the state.
Leading the charge for each side will be newly formed coalitions that most Ohioans haven’t heard of. Supporting SB5 is Building a Better Ohio, a group that Kasich doesn’t run but that he openly supports.
Both sides are focused on finding people who support their cause and enlisting them to bring others over to their side.
The Political Action Committee wanting to see a NO vote to Issue 2 is We Are Ohio, a union-based group that has mobilized a large grassroots campaign with many boots-on-the-ground.
The Tipp City Connection
Tipp City’s schools are non-union so the impact to the school system by Issue 2 is currently minimal. The fear of some Tipp City teachers is that over time their benefits would be downwardly adjusted to meet those of union-managed school districts. Currently we have not been informed of any plans by the School District to do so.
Tipp City’s government workers that are union (Police) may see some changes to their benefits and health plans, however according to city officials the impact of those changes both to the city employees and the city budget will be very minimal.
Therefore with no revenue gains from Issue 2 for Tipp Schools or City government as well as very minimal negative impact to Tipp City’s teachers and public employees, residents are expected to vote primarily by party lines in November.
