In front of a full chamber hall, the Cincinnati city council voted to impose stiffer penalties on companies who do business with the city and commit wage theft.  Cincinnati becomes the first Ohio city to pass such an ordinance.  The ordinance was proposed by Vice Mayor David Mann.  It passed on a 7-2 vote, [&hellip…;

  While union membership rates remained unchanged nationally from 2014 to 2015, they dropped significantly in the state of Wisconsin. For the first time in its history, the state fell below the national average.  In 2015, only 8.3 percent of Wisconsin’s workforce paid dues to unions, or a total of 223,000 workers.  In 2014, roughly…

  The Ohio House Commerce and Labor Committee heard testimony for HB 377, a law which would prohibit the collection of union dues from public sector workers who do not wish to be part of the union but are still entitled to the benefits of collective bargaining.  This is a complicated way of saying “Right-to-Work.” [&hellip…;

  Voters in Ohio overwhelmingly passed Proposition 1, a bipartisan plan to end gerrymandering in the state.  The margin was a whopping 72-to-28 percent.   As we wrote in September, a diverse group of supporters including the League of Women Voters, the Chamber of Commerce, and the AFL-CIO made the victory possible.  The bill, sponsored…

  Ohio Ballot Issue 1, a plan to create fair redistricting and prevent gerrymandering, is enjoying bipartisan support and even making strange bedfellows in the Buckeye State.  Criss-crossing the state in support of the measure are two former state lawmakers, Republican Matt Huffman (from Lima) and Democrat Vernon Sykes (from Akron), who are…

  The Ohio Senate Finance Committee softened House language which would have prevented Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on publicly funded construction projects.  The move was part of a series of amendments to the two-year budget plan.  A vote on the final Senate budget is expected soon.  If the changes remain in the Senate’s final budget…

  The Parma City Council has voted in favor of a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council (CBCTC) for upcoming work on a regional dispatch center.  In total, the council voted on $647,000 of expenditures for the project, which is expected to be completed in August.  The project had [&hellip…;

  In Ohio, the organizers of the We Are Ohio movement that helped defeat SB 5 in 2012 held an event at Ohio University’s Baker Center Ballroom to warn against possible “Right-to-Work” legislation in the Buckeye State.  Gov. John Kasich says business executives don’t feel “Right-to-Work” is needed in Ohio, but the national…

  Two Ohio lawmakers are proposing a bill that would have retail employees earn three times their normal rate of pay if they choose to work on Thanksgiving. House Bill 360 would allow workers to refuse to work on Thanksgiving without fear of adverse affects on their wages, hours, or employment status.  Under the proposal, [&hellip…;

  Emails obtained exclusively by Salon provide details of deliberations among Ohio Republicans seeking to change election laws in their favor prior to the midterm elections.  The emails involve Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, his general council, and his elections director.   The emails reveal plans to share information with some groups…

The Ohio Contractors Association (OCA) has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that local hiring requirements set forth by Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic violate the constitution of both the United States and the state of Ohio.  The lawsuit is based around requirements for contractors bidding on the Rack 15 Storage Basin project, a $1.4 billion…

  While visiting a manufacturing facility in Youngstown, Ohio, State Treasurer Josh Mandel touted the importance of training workers for jobs in the skilled trades and encouraged more companies to participate in training programs for young workers.  Recognizing the achievements of two workers in the state’s Ohio Strong Initiative, Mandel…