Less than two years after Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected collective bargaining limits for government workers, Republicans in the Ohio House are preparing legislation that would prohibit requiring workers from joining or paying automatic dues to a union.
State Rep. Kristina Roegner said in a co-sponsorship request circulating Tuesday that she wants Ohio to become the 25th Right to Work state in the nation. Her "Workplace Freedom" bill would apply to public-sector unions, and a companion measure from state Rep. Ron Maag would apply to private-sector unions. Democrats and labor leaders leaped on the proposals as a slap to the strong majority of Ohio voters who repealed a proposed collective bargaining overhaul in November 2011 that limited the bargaining rights of public-sector workers.