Ohio AG certifies Workplace Freedom Amendment language

On January 23rd, The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law submitted language and the required 1,000 signatures to put a constitutional amendment on the Ohio ballot to prohibit any entity from requiring an individual or employer to become or remain a member of a labor organization, though voluntary affiliation is not restricted.

As the first step in the amendment process, the Ohio Attorney General must certify that the summary of the amendment is a "fair and truthful statement" of the proposed amendment.

Yesterday, AG Mike DeWine did just that, clearing the way for the amendment, “Freedom to choose whether to participate in a labor organization as a condition of employment,” to proceed in the process.

The next step is the Ohio Ballot Board which will determine if the amendment is a single issue. Once that determination is made, Ohioans for Workplace Freedom will be required to collect signatures from registered voters in 44 of Ohio's 88 counties. The signature total must equal 5% of the total vote cast in the county for the governor in the last election. The total number of signatures must equal 10% of the total vote for governor.

Many of the individuals and organizations who supported the successful Healthcare Freedom Amendment are involved in supporting this workplace amendment.

The AG letter and the amendment petitions submitted can be found at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/Ballotinitiatives.