Ensure Economic Dignity for All Ohioans
Ohioans know that we all do better when every one of us has healthy food to eat and a decent home to live in, no exceptions.
Whether we make our living as child care providers, home health aides or as machinists on the factory floor — we all deserve to be paid the true value of our work and the freedom to join in unions of working people.
Most Ohioans believe that we should look out for each other during tough times. If we are laid off, we deserve an unemployment compensation system that will help us get by. If we have to take time off work to recover from an injury, bond with a new baby, or care for a sick loved one — we should be able to do it without going broke.
For years, some Ohio politicians have chosen to do the bidding of wealthy corporations like Kroger and Amazon instead of doing what’s best for working people and everyday Ohioans. They pit us against each other based on race and gender hoping we’ll look the other way as they divert the wealth our work creates to the richest Ohioans and wealthy corporations. Meanwhile, many of these same corporations refuse to pay us the value of our work, raise prices for everyday families, cut corners on safety, and even steal our wages — all to pad their own profits.
Ohio has enough for all of us — whether we live in Lima, Athens or Cincinnati — to live with dignity. We can come together to rewrite the rules so everyone can live a good life.
Here are our policy solutions:
Safeguard paychecks by boosting funding and staff in the state Wage and Hour division, and require employers give every worker a statement of their pay.
Help people who are laid off make ends meet by expanding eligibility for unemployment compensation and fixing the program’s administration.
Make sure people are paid closer to the value of the work they do by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and eliminating the sub minimum wage for tipped workers.
Expand protections for working people who want to join a union and funding for worker centers across the state.
Treat child care workers with the respect they deserve by recognizing their right to speak up together, and by paying them the value of the critical work they do.
Make child care affordable for all who need it to help more women get and keep good jobs and better prepare our children for the future.
Make sure working people can live full lives by passing fair scheduling laws that prevent employers from making last minute schedule changes.
Overhaul overtime laws so people are paid for all the hours they put in — whether they’re salaried or suiting up for dangerous work.
Enact paid time off policy so Ohioans can recover from illness, care for a sick loved one, or bond with a new child without worrying about their financial security.
Carefully vet public funding used for economic development deals with wealthy corporations. Make sure corporations who do well in Ohio do right by Ohio by enforcing their promises to our communities. Big projects like Intel Corporation’s construction of semiconductor plants outside Columbus should provide both good jobs and benefits for the whole community.
Bring more balance to the state tax code by making the State Earned Income Tax Credit refundable so it puts more money in the hands of people who are paid low wages.