Ohio voters may be poised to kill a bitterly disputed law curbing the power of public-sector unions when they head to the polls Nov. 8, according to a new poll released Wednesday, adding fuel to the political clash that has divided statehouses across the Midwest over the past year.
A survey released Wednesday from Public Policy Polling found increasing support for Issue 2, which would repeal what is known as SB 5, with repeal favored by a margin of 59 percent to 36 percent. Opposition to SB 5 has grown since a poll taken in August, when repeal was favored by just 50 percent of Buckeye State voters.
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SB 5, passed by the Republican-dominated General Assembly in late March, cut the collective-bargaining power of public-employee unions in Ohio and changed contribution limits that those workers paid for pensions and health care.
Ohio’s collective-bargaining law, seen as a coup for new GOP Gov. John Kasich, has divided the state politically, and Mr. Kasich has found his personal popularity rating falling sharply. Only 37 percent of Ohio voters approve of the job he is doing while 54 percent disapprove. Nearly a fourth – 23 percent – of Republicans disapprove as well, the latest polling found.
Republicans did score one victory: Support remains strong in Ohio for Issue 3, which would overturn the federal health care law promoted by President Obama.
