Collective Bargaining and the Battle of Ohio ― The Defeat of Senate Bill 5 and the Struggle to Defend the Middle Class

In 2011, Ohio Governor John Kasich and his Republican-controlled legislature passed the radical Senate Bill 5 designed to impede the labor movement, particularly targeting unionized professors. Collective Bargaining and the Battle of Ohio is the story of how professors worked alongside firefighters, police, and janitors to defend universities, the value of higher education, and their collective bargaining rights. Faculty across the state joined 'We Are Ohio,' a historic coalition of unions and progressive groups that spearheaded efforts to protect employees' rights to have a voice in the workplace. A massive political struggle ensued, pitting the labor movement against powerful corporate forces, and on election day, Ohioans defended the middle class by repealing SB 5 by a nearly 2-1 margin. Through his compelling narrative, McNay outlines the importance of this powerful case study not only for Ohio, but also for its political, historical, and sociological implications.

John T. McNay is Professor of History at University of Cincinnati, USA. A specialist on the Cold War, he is the author of Acheson and Empire: The British Accent in American Foreign Relations (2001) and The Memoirs of Henry F. Grady: From the Great War to the Cold War (2009) as well as various articles and reviews. He currently serves as president of the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors.