The U.S. Supreme Court ruling on union dues caused a national stir, and sent a shock wave to labor groups in Ohio.
Some Republican lawmakers have been trying to pass bills limiting unions and collective bargaining for years. According to the top Senate leader, now they no longer have to, at least for the public sector.
Several so-called “Right to Work” bills have been proposed since voters repealed a collective bargaining reform law in 2011. These measures would make it illegal to require an employee to pay union dues in order to work.
The most recent came in January, pushed by state Reps. John Becker and Craig Riedel, who hoped to once again get “Right to Work” on the ballot.
Now, as Republican Senate President Larry Obhof sees it, after “Janus v. AFSCME,” he believes “Right to Work” might be a done issue.
“Based on what my understanding of it is, there really isn’t a need for legislation that that’s a constitutional question that’s been decided," Obhof says.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public sector unions cannot mandate fees for employees who aren’t members, but who are covered by collective bargaining.
Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko shot back against the ruling, calling it a threat to the middle class. He said it’s time for lawmakers to act in finding ways to protect unions, but that’s an uphill battle as Republicans hold a supermajority in the General Assembly.
