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Labor unions consider charging members for Senate Bill 5 referendum

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The Ohio Education Association, the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police and the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters may charge their respective union members o fund a November 2011 ballot referendum in opposition to the recently passed Senate Bill 5.

The Columbus Dispatch reported this week that Ohio Education Association executive director Larry Wicks said "teachers and other unionized school personnel might be charged a one-time assessment of $50 to generate more than $5 million to fight Senate Bill 5."

The Ohio Education Association's representative assembly could vote on the charge in early May, the newspaper said.

At least $20 million will be needed to run an effective campaign, Wicks  said.

According to the Dispatch, in an email to Ohio Gov. John Kasich, "OEA member Connie Ash complained about the union deducting money from her check to fight Senate Bill 5."

"I am a fiscal conservative and belong to the TEA Party," Ash wrote. "I am appalled that the OEA feels they can commandeer funds from my paycheck without my approval."

Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said the OEA's possible $50 member assessment was a "perfect example of what's wrong with this broken system. At a time when the OEA is struggling to demonstrate how it adds value to students in Ohio's classrooms, this is an indication of how little support the union has among its own members," Nichols said.[[In-content Ad]]

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