Union Curbs to Face Voters

Voters will get a chance to weigh in on one of Ohio’s most controversial new laws after opponents filed enough signatures to get the issue on the ballot.

SB 5, which the General Assembly passed in March, restricts collective bargaining power of public employees.

Like similar bills in Wisconsin and Michigan, the measure sparked widespread protests across the state.

Secretary of State Jon Husted last week said that opponents had gathered 915,456 signatures — more than enough to put the measure on the Nov. 8 ballot. They needed 231,147 signatures gathered from among all the state’s 88 counties.

The Ohio Ballot Board is expected to meet next month to craft the wording of the referendum.

SB 5 also requires public employees to contribute more money toward their pensions and health care costs and establishes merit pay for teachers.

Unlike the collective-bargaining restrictions, those provisions appear more popular among voters, according to a recent poll by Quinnipiac University.

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