Ohio and Right to Work Part II

The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Robert Schoenberger and Alison Grant had a piece Thursday morning on what Right to Work might look like in Ohio. They posit that there would be an ugly public fight despite the best attempts by the legislature to get a bill through. So why?

Well, Ohio is awesome. Ok, fine, we’ll use facts. In Michigan, the legislature attached an appropriations bill to the measure making it difficult for ballot repeal (not that ballot repeal matters in Michigan after all legislation repealed in November was rushed through the Lame Duck session as well). Michigan law prevents recall votes on spending because it would destroy the state’s ability to pay bills.

In Ohio, we like chaos. In 2011, the Ohio Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the gerrymandering could be challenged by voters, spending provisions be damned. The court ruled that the spending provision was separate, and the voters could challenge the non-spending provisions.

If Republicans try to push right to work through in Ohio things could get ugly and fast. Naturally, right to work would bring the Ohio unions out, backing the recall efforts. Essentially, it would be SB5/Issue 2 Part II, and Ohio Republicans and their business allies don’t want that. Gov. John Kasich was left pretty roughed up after the political thrashing organized labor in Ohio gave him. They all seem a little put off coming at unions again. What, you mad?

Ohio danced the right to work dance once before in 1958, but the defeat resulted in a long memory. It was an ugly and high profile fight the first time.

Gov. Kasich has alluded to other priorities other than right to work (the Plain Dealer article claims he made a direct statement to this effect, but I’m not familiar with one.). Kasich is finally seeing a recovering in his popularity after the fight with the union…it still isn’t good.

So everyone is well aware that right to work will not end well for conservatives in Ohio. Well, everyone except Ohioans for Workplace Freedom. As previously mentioned they are gathering signatures. These are the same people who tried to repeal Obamacare in Ohio. Ohio voters approved the issues by a 2 to 1 margin (which makes me weep for the masses), but the US Supreme Court upheld the mandate so it doesn’t matter. This group is very optimistic. They need 385,000 signatures to get a proposed constitutional amendment, but so far have less than 100,000. They are trying to raise money, but the businesses and politicians have been less generous than they were with Issue 2…someone’s learning. However, if right to work does should its face in Ohio then we can expect to see big contributions from anti-labor groups again.

Ohioans for Workplace Freedom is splitting hairs claiming right to work doesn’t impact unions just that they want more options. LIES! We all know right to work undercuts unions, and anyone who doesn’t is a liar or an idiot. No one has to join a union, and I get tired of saying that over and over, you do however have to pay dues if you benefit from a union negotiated contract. Right to work allows people to benefit from the union without paying into it. We also know right to work states have more workplace injuries and deaths than non-right to work states. There is also no evidence that right to work states attract businesses. Seriously, none at all.

Now, close your eyes and think of your favorite teamster raising his or her arms and saying “come at me bro.” Mine has a mustache. Right to work won’t come up right now because Kasich is still licking his wounds, as he should be. Also because he doesn’t want to be a one term governor, and taking on labor in Ohio would mean being a one term governor. His popularity is only now coming back almost a year later. He pulls out right to work by the time that shit show is over he’ll be running for reelection. If we vote him out, and I hope we do, then we might see a conservative legislature and governor pulling a Michigan, but that would be assuming Dems don’t take control of the legislature after the last few shitshows. We are going to see right to work in Ohio at some point, but I don’t expect to see it for at least another year, or maybe another governor’s term.