We Are Ohio

We Are Ohio is a coalition of unions all across the state of Ohio that formed to stand up for the rights of working people.

PNM has managed all communications strategies and implementation for We Are Ohio since its inception. We have developed strategies for keeping the coalition together and engaged during times when the threats are not as immediate. We have implemented rapid-response campaigns to specific threats to democracy and workers’ rights including letter campaigns to elected officials, targeted paid digital campaigns, developing pop-up websites to discredit threats to unions, and robust earned media efforts to change the narrative around certain issues. We have kept up consistent pro-active messaging on all social media platforms about the power of unions. And we have lifted up labor leaders and the emphasized the number of voters they represent to remind elected officials of the power we wield.

After nearly 15 years, the coalition is stronger than ever. We Are Ohio has established itself in the state as an important ally to any initiative that fights for democracy in the state. The consistent public-facing communications coming out of We Are Ohio has also benefited the individual unions by helping them communicate to their members the value of organized labor.

Formed in 2011, We Are Ohio led the effort to veto Senate Bill 5, an anti-worker bill that would have eliminated the collective bargaining rights of 350,000 public employees. We collected 1.3 million signatures – the largest number in Ohio’s history – and then went on to defeat the bill by a 62-38 percent margin that November.

After 2011, we continued to build on our momentum, fighting back against right to work is (wrong), and any and all attacks on the rights of workers in Ohio. Below are a few examples of our work over the last 14 years.

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Right to Work is Wrong

The day after we led a citizen’s veto against SB5, Americans for Prosperity announced they were going to bring RTW to Ohio. We Are Ohio stayed together with an executive committee, a legislative table, and a communications table to fight back against right to work (is wrong). At that time we developed messaging – Right to Work is Wrong – that was used in Ohio, and in other states like Missouri, and eventually cited by Hillary Clinton in her presidential bid in 2016.

During this period, nearly all the midwest states surrounding Ohio – Michigan, Indiana, West Virginia, and Kentucky – passed right to work (is wrong) legislation.We Are Ohio stood as a powerful reminder to lawmakers, who saw our efforts to overturn SB 5 and protect collective bargaining rights, to not push for right to work is wrong in Ohio.

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Keeping an Eye on Our Enemies

All across Ohio, disingenuous organizations are worming their way into Ohio politics. These organizations are funded by out-of-state billionaires like the Koch family and Betsy DeVos and many more. They lobby for anti-worker bills like right to work (is wrong), private school vouchers, privatization, and against collective bargaining rights and prevailing wage. Extreme anti-worker organizations have run aggressive campaigns to trick workers into giving up their rights by lying to them about opting out of their unions.

Groups in Ohio like the Freedom Foundation, the Buckeye Institute, and the Center for Christian Virtues come up with clever names to make it sound like they are advocating for “freedom,” or that they are a home-grown organization that is part of the “Buckeye” state. But they are bought and paid for by out-of-state billionaires who are their true puppet masters.

These anti-worker organizations have one goal: to protect and increase the profits of their corporate bosses. They do not care about working Ohioans. PNM has worked with We Are Ohio and other groups and individuals to call out these organizations. We have developed microsites, and run targeted digital campaigns pushing Ohioans to those websites to learn more. From the earned media front, we have leveraged our relationships and understanding of the media to chip away at the credibility of these organizations to keep them in check. 

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No on Issue 1

PNM worked with We Are Ohio to stop extreme lawmakers from denying Ohioans the right to change our Constitution with a simple majority, 50-plus one, vote. Lawmakers tried to trick voters in a rigged special election in August, 2023 in an attempt to eliminate the idea of one person, one vote. We were able to stop SB 5 in 2011 with a simple majority vote.

On August 8, 2023 voters overwhelmingly rejected Issue 1 with a decisive margin of 57 percent to 43 percent, and protected majority rule in Ohio. The strength of the We Are Ohio Coalition contributed greatly to the success of this issue.

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SB 1

Currently, PNM is spearheading a fightback campaign against the newest attack on workers in Ohio – Senate Bill 1. Extreme anti-worker lawmakers have pledged to attack bargaining rights again as we enter a new legislative session, and this is the largest attack on collective bargaining rights since Senate Bill 5, affecting 13 campus unions and roughly 10,000 union members. 

Senate Bill 1 limits collective bargaining subjects that are key to the terms and conditions of employment for unionized full-time faculty at Ohio’s public colleges and universities. These bills go even further by prohibiting faculty from being able to strike, one of organized labor’s most sacred rights. These anti-labor provisions are deliberate attempts to silence the voices of over 10,000 union workers who are dedicated to their profession and will educate the next generation of Ohio leaders and help drive Ohio’s research economy.

PNM has developed targeted digital ad campaigns as well as letter writing campaigns to keep up the pressure on specific legislators and the Ohio Governor.

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Additional Video Examples