Key issues

Support pro-labor candidates on Nov. 4

Our next president will shape Ohio's future. Your decision at the polls on Tues., Nov. 4, will impact our families, communities, jobs, and the government services OCSEA members deliver.

That's why it's critical to learn more now about what's at stake. You can download and share this flier (PDF), too.

When picking pro-labor candidates, look at where candidates stand on these key issues:

• Economy
• Health Care
• Job Security

ECONOMY - Thanks to the disastrous policies of anti-labor politicians at the federal level, Ohio has lost over 200,000 total jobs and is poised to lose thousands more with the moving of DHL from Wilmington in southwest Ohio. At the same time, our state has one of the highest home foreclosure rates in the nation. Ohio’s high unemployment rate, the mortgage/lending crisis, as well as skyrocketing food and gas prices all indicate Ohio is knee-deep in a recession.

But bad decisions at the state level have made a bad situation even worse. With the support of the prior administration, anti-labor state legislators introduced tax “reform” measures that have now cleaned the coffers of state government, cut vital programs and laid off state employees. So while more and more Ohioans are depending on public services to help get them through hard times, the government safety net is getting smaller.

[ top ]

HEALTH CARE - In poll after poll, health care is one of the top two issues for working families across the state. The reason? Ohioans spend more and more for health care but receive less and less coverage, while the number of Ohioans not insured grows.

OCSEA members care about health care costs because every time they go to the bargaining table they’re worried they must give up a wage increase to maintain their health care benefits. Governments must pay for health care, too, which means when costs go up, there’s less money for services, putting union members’ jobs at risk.

For all these reasons, that’s why it’s important that we have quality, affordable coverage for all, making sure that everyone—governments and employers—share the risk and the cost of health care equally.

[ top ]

Job Security - Outsourcing of state jobs to the private sector continues to be a threat. Anti-labor politicians at all branches of government want to outsource and/or offshore public and private sector jobs. Companies who offshore Ohio’s private sector jobs do so because of ill-conceived tax incentives and cheap labor overseas.

Public services are outsourced when anti-labor politicians rely on cronyism to make business decisions or when no attempt is made to truly compare services for quality and cost. OCSEA bargaining unit employees provide quality public services at an affordable cost.

That’s why it’s important to vote for pro-labor candidates who support keeping jobs in Ohio and a strong safety net of public services.

[ top ]

See Related

What's at Stake?

Endorsements

Voter Information