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Ohio Labor Leaders Call on SOS LaRose to Ensure November Election is Safe, Accessible

Leaders Outline 4 Steps SOS Has Authority to Implement

COLUMBUS – Ohio Labor Leaders called on Secretary of State Frank LaRose to ensure November’s election is safe and accessible by taking four steps immediately to make the online absentee ballot applications process easier, prepay postage, provide multiple drop boxes in each county and stop the consolidation of voting places.

In a letter to LaRose from Chris Mabe, President of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association and Chair of the We Are Ohio board and Tim Burga, Ohio AFL-CIO President and Vice-chair of the We Are Ohio board, the leaders noted the Secretary of State has broad authority under existing law through his administrative powers, and he does not need legislative approval to implement the four critical steps to a fair, secure and safe electoral process for all Ohio voters.

“We are heartened by the statements you have made and the work that you have done in anticipation of the challenges we face this fall. We applaud your commitment to ensure that Ohio does not experience the kinds of voting calamities we have seen recently in other states. It is increasingly clear the legislature will not act on a number of necessary measures to ensure safe and accessible elections,” said Mabe, Burga and leaders in the letter.

“We greatly appreciate the care and concern you have shown as we approach this challenging election. If steps are taken now, we can greatly mitigate the risk the Pandemic presents to safety and ballot access for Ohio voters. Like you, we want Ohio to be an example of how things should be done in times of crisis. Thank you for the collaborative approach you are taking on these issues,” said Mabe, Burga and leaders in the letter.

“We are fortunate that the Ohio Revised Code grants your office broad powers over voting in Ohio. To ensure the integrity of our elections this fall, we hope you will expeditiously use your administrative powers and take the following important actions to safeguard ballot access in this challenging time:

• Online Absentee Ballot Applications – As you know, ORC 3509.03 gives great latitude on the form of absentee application a voter may use. We know you agree that online applications are a vital tool for the increased absentee voting we will see this fall. We have been encouraged by your statements that your office can implement this mechanism expeditiously.
• Prepaid Postage – As you have said, a plan that does not afford every Ohioan an opportunity to vote free of charge would be unconstitutional. We absolutely agree, and feel it is crucial that postage be prepaid for Ohioans’ absentee ballot applications and ballots. We are fortunate that Ohio’s CARES Act funding allocation and additional federal funding potentially moving through Congress helps to alleviate the argument that this may not be affordable.
• Multiple Drop Boxes – Making it more convenient for voters to safely drop off applications and ballots is a common-sense step we can take to ensure voter access during this Pandemic. We recognize you have sought advice from the Ohio Attorney General on this issue. We urge you to act quickly once you receive guidance to ensure that Boards can incorporate this important tool in their election planning.
• Stop Consolidation of Voting Places – Like you, we are concerned about the lines, disruption and obvious safety issues we witnessed in other states where large numbers of voters were forced to vote in consolidated polling locations. We cannot afford the risk to our voters, poll workers and our state’s reputation to allow such a thing to happen in Ohio this November.

The letter was signed by Mabe, Burga and the following labor leaders:
Scott DiMauro, President Ohio Education Association
Melissa Cropper, President, Ohio Federation of Teachers
Lois Fields-Carson, State President Ohio Assoc. of Public School Employees OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4
Sean Grayson, President, AFSCME Council 8
Linda L. Hinton, Vice President Communications Workers of America – Dist. 4
Becky Williams, President, SEIU 1199
Donnie E. Blatt, Director USW – District 1
John T. McNay, President, Ohio Conference AAUP
Randy Quickel, President, UFCW Local 1059
Kevin Garvey, President UFCW Local 75
Theotis L. James, Transport Workers of America Union Executive Board Member International Representative
Wayne Blanchard, Assistant Director United Auto Workers Region 2-B
Andre Washington, State President, APRI Ohio
Davida Russell, Ohio Chapter President, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Petee Talley, Region V Representative Coalition of Black Trade Unionists President, Ohio Unity Coalition
Norm Wernet, President Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans Ed. Fund

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CONTACT:Dennis Willard
614-209-8945
dennis@precisionnewmedia.com

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‘Right To Work’ Group Threatens To Sue Ohio Over Union Fees

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public sector unions cannot mandate fees for employees who aren’t members, even if they’re covered by collective bargaining deals. But Ohio’s largest public employee union says the threat is unnecessary – and went to the wrong agency anyway.

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation sent a letter to state Treasurer Josh Mandel, demanding a halt to mandatory “shop fees” being deducted from non-union members’ paychecks.

But Chris Mabe with the Ohio Civil Service Employees Union says the Treasurer’s Office doesn’t handle such issues. And he said the OCSEA had already sent its own letter to the state after the “Janus v. AFSCME” decision.

Read the full article here.

Fresh Proof That Strong Unions Help Reduce Income Inequality

New evidence shows that unions played a major role in reducing income inequality in the United States in the decades when organized labor was strong.

But it also demonstrates that the decline in union power since the 1960s — which may be exacerbated as a result of a recent Supreme Court decision— has contributed to the widening gap between rich and poor.

The new insights come from a working paper, “Unions and Inequality Over the Twentieth Century: New Evidence from Survey Data,” by four economists: Henry Farber, Daniel Herbst and Ilyana Kuziemko of Princeton, and Suresh Naidu of Columbia. They establish that unions have constrained income inequality far beyond their own membership ranks.

While the scholars can’t pinpoint the precise mechanism at work, they speculate that unions have indirectly increased pay at firms nervous that their own employees might organize. Unions have also lobbied for higher minimum wages and pushed to hold down executive salaries. They have also advocated for broader access to health care, countering a key channel through which income inequality can harm all of society.

Read the full article here.

Right-to-work steeped in deception

Right-to-work is steeped in deception, starting with the title. It does not bring in new business, but rather puts corporate profits before the public good.

Former Rep. Eric Burlison (R133) sponsored A.L.E.C.’s RTW fill-in-the-blank legislation, putting a thumb on the scale, favoring corporate owners over workers.

RTW is bipartisan, harming all “employees” across the political spectrum by destroying worker protections and benefits and gutting pensions.

More than 55 percent of non-union workers are subject to forced arbitration through their employment contracts. Workers only win 21 percent of the time, with settlements averaging $100,000. They win 57 percent of the time in state court with settlements running around $500,000. Since attorneys’ fees are based on settlement amount, they are less likely to take an arbitration case. Injured workers are left with a stacked deck.

Read the full article here.

Supreme Court Decision Delivers Blow To Workers’ Rights

In a case involving the rights of tens of millions of private sector employees, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, delivered a major blow to workers, ruling for the first time that workers may not band together to challenge violations of federal labor laws.

Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said that the 1925 Federal Arbitration Act trumps the National Labor Relations Act and that employees who sign employment agreements to arbitrate claims must do so on an individual basis — and may not band together to enforce claims of wage and hour violations.

Read the full article here.

We Are Ohio. Standing strong, supporting workers.