Ohio AgriBusiness Association Board Votes to Support a “Yes” on State Issue 2

Ballot Issue Would Retain Reforms of Senate Bill 5

At its September meeting, the Ohio AgriBusiness Association (OABA) Board of Directors voted unanimously to support a “yes” vote on Ohio State Issue 2, the voter referendum on the state’s new public employee collective bargaining law that was passed by the General Assembly in March.

Passage of Issue 2 would retain the reforms passed in Senate Bill 5 (SB5) and give state and local governments the ability to negotiate labor costs as a way of helping them balance their budgets. With public-sector labor costs in Ohio accounting for up to 80 percent of local government budgets in some cases and a tax burden that already ranks 16^th in the nation, OABA feels Issue 2 is a reasonable approach to getting government labor costs under control, preventing the tax burden on business and private workers from increasing, and setting the state on a path to becoming a better place for all Ohioans to live, work and do business.

Click here to view a copy of the Issue 2 Press Release.