Ohio Senate Bill 5: What it will mean for public employees and employers in Ohio - if it survives the upcoming referendum vote
Joseph E. Slater
Eugene N. Balk Professor of Law and Values
University of Toledo College of Law
Craig M. Brown, Esq.
Shareholder, Littler Mendelson
Susannah Muskovitz
Principal, Muskovitz & Lemmerbrock, LLC
On March 31, 2011, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed into law Senate Bill 5 (SB 5), limiting the collective bargaining rights of public employees in Ohio. Among other changes, the law expands the list of subjects deemed inappropriate for collective bargaining; restricts the contribution of public employers to the health care benefits and pensions of their employees; and changes the mechanism for resolving bargaining impasses. In response to the legislation, public-sector unions mounted a successful campaign to place the law before the voters in a referendum this November 8th. The campaign surrounding the issue promises to be spirited. Professor Joseph E. Slater, who has written extensively on public sector employment, will moderate a discussion with outstanding practitioners - one each from management and labor firms - of how SB 5 would affect public employment in Ohio, as well as the policy implications of the law.