Anti-union bill draws protests in Ohio

In 2011, Ohio Republicans, a little too excited after their 2010 victories, pushed their luck and paid a price. Gov. John Kasich (R) and GOP state lawmakers pushed through SB 5, curbing the rights of public-employee unions -- and almost immediately thereafter, Buckeye State voters undid it.

At the time, far-right activists were pushing Kasich and his party for an anti-union "right-to-work" measure, and the governor basically told conservatives that after the public backlash to SB 5, they'd have to wait. "You know, you go out deep-sea fishing, you catch a lot of sharks," Kasich said in early 2012. "We've caught 'em. Once in a while the shark eats you, OK?

Republicans apparently believe the sharks have swam away.

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The Ohio Capital Blog posted this video yesterday from a hearing on the "right-to-work" proposal, where the argument began on a contentious note, and will likely intensify as it proceeds.

What's more, the AP reported today:

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Labor backers are making clear their opposition to a pair of bills aiming to strip Ohio unions of their power to compel membership and automatically collect dues.

Hundreds showed up Tuesday at the Ohio Statehouse, where the first -- and probably the last -- hearing was being held on right-to-work legislation proposed by Republican state Reps. Kristina Roegner and Ron Maag.... The so-called "Workplace Freedom" bill would apply to private-sector unions. A companion measure would apply to public-sector unions.

It's too soon to say how this will turn out, but for Ohio Republicans to pursue this less than two years after voters overwhelmingly rejected an anti-union measure on the statewide ballot certainly takes chutzpah.