Why Floridians Should Pay Attention to Ohio’s Issue 2 Vote
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Ohio voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide the future of public worker unions. The vote may be a sign of things to come in Florida.
Ohio voters head to the polls Tuesday to vote on a law limiting public employees’ collective bargaining rights, including teachers. Florida residents might want to keep their eyes on that decision.
Gov. Rick Scott and allies such as Patricia Levesque of the Foundation for Florida’s Future have made no secret of the fact that they would like to strip teachers’ unions of their collective bargaining rights.
Republicans have the political muscle in Tallahassee, but there’s a rub: The state constitution guarantees the right to collectively bargain for pay and benefits.
Should lawmakers try to amend that right they would need a supermajority in the Florida legislature.They also need 60 percent of voters to approve the change.
So just like in Ohio, the issue could be decided in the voting booth. Polls show those who want to limit collective bargaining could lose big on Tuesday.
Our colleagues at StateImpact Ohio have thoroughly explained the ins and outs of Issue 2. So for a primer, check out these links:
How Issue 2 would change Ohio schools
Issue 2 would be a “death sentence” for higher ed unions
Finally, Who is funding the Issue 2 political battle
