Among other ballot initiatives Ohio voters will have a chance to pass on this November is Issue 2. It asks whether the law reforming Ohio’s public sector collective bargaining law, Senate Bill 5, should be rejected.
Polls on Issue 2 have not been favorable for those who want to keep Senate Bill 5. The gap is, however, decreasing according to the latest poll conducted by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. In the last poll conducted in July, voters favored repeal of the law 56% – 32%. The more recent numbers show repeal is still favored, but by a margin of 51% – 38%.
As readers of this blog know, the law contains a number of different elements, including limits on health care costs, merit-based pay, prohibition on strikes by public employees, and an elimination of "fair share" fees. The poll appears to have tested some of these parts of the proposal, finding majority support for health care cost containment measures and merit-based pay, but no majority support for prohibiting strikes. The fair share fee question does not appear to have been polled.