In the latest bid to make Ohio a “Right-to-Work” state, the House introduced a bill that would eliminate any requirement that public employees must join or pay dues to any employee organization.
Public employees are not currently required to join any employee organization under state law. However, under the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Law, collective bargaining agreements can require non-member employees to pay a “fair share fee” to the employee organization as a condition of employment. The fair share fee cannot exceed the dues paid by members and cannot be used in support of partisan politics or for ideological purposes unrelated to the collective bargaining work of the employee organization.
House Bill 53 would eliminate that fare share requirement, and would also allow unions to decline to represent non-member employees in negotiations. The right of public employees to otherwise join and pay dues to a union, or of non-members to make voluntary contributions, would remain intact under the Bill.
HB 53 has been met with strong opposition from union stakeholders. Some lawmakers have expressed apprehension about the Bill and “Right-to-Work” laws, generally, since Ohio voters in 2011 repealed a law that would have restricted unions’ collective bargaining rights.
HB 53 has not yet been voted on and is currently pending in the House Finance Committee. If the Bill is enacted, Ohio would become the 29th state with “Right-to-Work” laws on the books, including neighboring Michigan, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana.