Members of UE Local 741 worked hard to defeat SB 5, an anti-union law enacted earlier this year in Ohio. Their efforts were rewarded on November 8, when Ohio voters rejected the law by a wide margin.

Columbus

In an overwhelming victory for working people and unions, voters in Ohio decisively voted to repeal SB 5, the union-busting law passed early this year by the Republican-controlled legislature and pushed by Gov. John Kasich. The margin of victory was 61 to 39 percent on Issue 2, the November 8 ballot question that let voters decide whether to retain or repeal SB 5. A "no" vote was a vote to scrap the anti-union bill, and in all but 7 of Ohio's 88 counties, the "no on Issue 2" side won.

UE members in Ohio were very involved in the campaign, starting with rallies and protests last February and March when the legislature was debating the bill. UE members gathered signatures on the petition to put the issue on the ballot, among co-workers on the jobs and door-to-door in their communities. Over the final weeks, UE locals in Ohio distributed UE-published leaflets and yard signs for the "Vote NO on Issue 2" campaign, and did get-out the vote work.

Petitions, Fliers and Yard Signs

Bonnie Keen is vice president of UE Local 741 and a school bus driver for the Highland Public Schools, a rural school district in Central Ohio. She describes her local's involvement: "We took petitions house-to-house and to family members to get signatures. We did it at membership meetings and at work." The local also passed out flyers to its members as well as to teachers and other school employees and posted yard signs around the commuity. "Our members were fired up. Even non-union members knew that, if it (SB 5) passed, it would be bad for all of Ohio."

She adds that support for the union side was everywhere. "I haven't found one person who was going to vote yes. There are signs all around our community, from probably four different unions, including UE and Firefighters, saying 'Vote No on 2.' I've only seen one 'vote yes' sign."