Ohio voters defeated a referendum Tuesday, overruling an Ohio bill that would limit collective bargaining rights for public employees.
The bill resembled Wisconsin’s own collective bargaining limitations, which passed in March.
Both Wisconsin’s Act 10 and Ohio’s bill aimed at balancing the state budget by restricting collective bargaining.
The Ohio bill would have placed limitations on public safety workers, whereas Act 10 does not apply to public safety workers.
American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Council 40 Executive Director Rick Badger said even though the collective bargaining laws in Wisconsin and Ohio differed, the Ohio referendum was a “boost in the arm” for mobilizing Wisconsin workers.
“It energizes our folks,” Badger said. “This is something that we can build on.”
As the Nov. 15 date to start distributing petitions to recall Gov. Scott Walker approaches, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Executive Director Mike Tate connected the Ohio vote to the possible recall in a statement.
College Republicans Chair Johnny Koremenos said he did not think the two were correlated because Wisconsinites have seen the effects of the collective bargaining changes and are now more in favor of it than a few months ago.
“The reason that [Ohioans] have decided to go against the legislation … was because they haven’t been able to see how restricting collective bargaining helps,” Koremenos said.
State Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and state Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, are currently circulating a bill that would restore collective bargaining rights.
While Badger said he “appreciated the fact that the bill is out there,” he said it is unlikely to move forward unless the Legislature and Gov. Scott Walker change their stance on collective bargaining.
“Rather than trying to pin our hopes on folks changing our minds on this, we have to put the pressure that comes from the ballot box ... and direct action,” Badger said.
