The City of Brunswick passed a resolution this week in opposition of any future “So Called Right to Work” legislation considered by Ohio state lawmakers.
Brunswick City Council members expect another bill attacking Ohio’s middle class to be brought to the Statehouse in the near future despite the House Manufacturing & Workforce Development Committee’s rejection of further “So Called Right to Work” hearings earlier this month.
During Monday night’s Council meeting, Councilman Brian Ousley cited figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that show six out of 10 states with the highest unemployment rates have “So Called Right to Work” laws in place.
“This entire resolution isn’t about unions; it’s about working families,” said Ousley, a 26-year member of Laborers Local 310. This opinion was shared in a crucial vote by Republican Councilman Anthony Capretta, who called the support for working families “common sense.”
The only vote against the 4-1 resolution came from Councilman Ron Falconi, whose argument that “So Called Right to Work” legislation “[is] about whether or not someone wants to pay union dues in order to work somewhere” displays a concerning ignorance of the fact that people already have a choice whether or not to join a union. Meanwhile, these laws effectively strip away the protection of worker safety and health.
This resolution was approved a month after a group of Cuyahoga County officials, including County Executive Ed FitzGerald, added their names to an open letter to state legislators stating their opposition to any effort to pass “So Called Right to Work” laws and the related push for a Constitutional Amendment.
FitzGerald, who is seeking the Democrat Governor nomination, and eight members of the county council signed what was listed online as an “Open Letter to Ohio legislators regarding Right to Work legislation,” which indicates the group’s support for “fair labor practices and Ohio’s working families.”
