Kasich signs collective bargaining reform bill into law

Ohio Gov. John Kasich and the Ohio General Assembly last week passed Senate Bill 5, a collective-bargaining bill that reduces the bargaining power of unionized public workers including teachers, police officers and firefighters.

The new law aids in fixing Ohio’s long term budget problems from both a state and local perspective. Ohio House Rep. Terry Blair, R-Washington Twp., and Rep. Jim Butler, R-Oakwood, voted for Ohio Senate Bill 5. Also, Ohio Senator Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering, voted for the bill.

According to the Ohio Legislative Service Commission bill analysis, a selection of the provisions of the new law:

Collective bargaining: Restricts collective bargaining to wage issues. Under the 1983 law, public workers had a right to collectively bargain for wages, health care, pensions and specific workplace conditions. Under the new law most public workers will be able to bargain only on their salary.

Safety equipment: Allows police and fire officials to negotiate for safety equipment.

Binding arbitration: Eliminates binding arbitration and creates an alternative allowing contracts to go to voters if they cost more. If governmental employees in a union cannot reach an agreement with management on a new contract, a fact-finder is appointed to make recommendations. If a majority of the union members or management reject the those recommendations, the legislative body that oversees the government workers (Kettering or Oakwood City Council) holds a vote within 30 days of the current contract expiring to choose between the last, best offers of the union and management. If the legislative body chooses to do nothing, the last best offer of management becomes the new contract. In cases where the higher-cost offer is selected by the legislative body, the chief financial officer of the governmental body determines whether new revenue is needed to fulfill the offer that has been chosen. In this case, both last best offers placed on the ballot for voters to choose between.

Health care: Requires public workers to pay at least 15 percent of their health care coverage. Private sector workers on average pay about 23 percent.

Payroll deductions: Prohibits any public employer from providing an automatic payroll deduction for contributions to a union political action committee.

Union dues: Employees who do not want to join a union no longer have to pay fair share dues.

Strikes: Prohibits public union workers from striking, though workers who strike illegally will not be subjected to jail time.

Traffic tickets: Prohibits linking patrol officer evaluations to how many citations they write. This can no longer be a basis for performance evaluation.

Merit-based pay for teachers: Ohio's school teachers will be evaluated based on their students performance on standardized testing, the teacher’s licensure level, whether they have achieved highly qualified teaching status, minimum of two 30-minute observations by administrators, and other criteria selected by local school boards.