In Ohio, a bill that would limit collective bargaining rights for public sector workers passed through a State House committee on Tuesday. The legislation is expected to pass in the House on Wednesday, and then move to the Senate for a final vote. Lawmakers say that they made changes to the bill to make it more palatable to unions, but opponents say that they are ignoring many concerns and will end up hurting workers. The bill now contains a provision to prohibit nonunion employees from paying fees to the union, a well as a measure to prevent payroll deductions. The new version removes a provision that would have sent striking workers to jail, and still allows workers to bargaining over safety equipment issues. Democrats say that they will put the bill in a voter referendum this fall in hopes of overturning it.
See "Revised Bill on Collective Bargaining Advances in Ohio", Emma G. Fitzsimmons, The New York Times, March 29, 2011