Labor unions share the love with 31 Ohio House Republicans
By Jason Hart
Ohio Watchdog
http://watchdog.org
Labor unions donated money to 31 current Republican members of the Ohio House last year, dimming prospects for labor reform this session.
At the state and national levels, labor unions are known for their generous support of Democrats. But Republican supermajorities in the Ohio General Assembly have union bosses hedging their bets.
The top House Republican recipient of union money in 2014 was Majority Floor Leader Barbara Sears. Sears received a total of $27,350 from 13 different unions.
State Rep. Anthony DeVitis received $25,700 from 12 unions. State Rep. Mike Dovilla received $24,450 from 10 unions and state Rep. Dave Hall received $23,700 from 13 unions.
State Rep. Cliff Rosenberger, who is now the speaker of the House, received a total of $17,000 from seven different unions and was among 12 House Republicans paid between $10,000 and $20,000 by unions last year.
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House leaders, who did not respond to an Ohio Watchdog inquiry about their 2015 priorities, have indicated labor reform isn’t on the radar.
The top union donor to Ohio House Republicans in 2014 was also one of the state’s most vocal opponents of union reform. In addition to putting up highway billboards calling right-to-work poisonous and communist, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18 donated a total of $96,350 to House Republicans.
The IUOE chapter operates its campaign against right-to-work through Keep Ohio’s Heritage, a nonprofit funded with $1 million from IUOE’s Washington, D.C., headquarters. Right-to-work laws let workers opt out of paying union bosses.
“Whether Republicans utilize ‘Paycheck Protection,’ ‘Workplace Freedom,’ or other Right to Work tactics, opponents remain dedicated to ensuring the voting public knows the underlying nature behind the GOP’s divisive agenda,” Keep Ohio’s Heritage said in a Jan. 8 media release.
IUOE Local 18 last year gave campaign contributions to 21 Ohio House Republicans and to term-limited Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder.
For more on this story and a complete list of current Ohio House Republicans receiving union donations in 2014 go to http://watchdog.org/199148/unions-ohio-house/.
Jason Hart is Watchdog.org's Ohio-based National Labor Reporter. Contact him at jhart@watchdog.org and follow him on Twitter @jasonahart.