Is Ohio next 'Right-to-Work' state?

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - In the age-old rivalry between Ohio and Michigan, Ohio was clearly the victor on the football field, but off the field some worry that Michigan is about to get a leg up on the Buckeye State.

"It becomes even more of a crucial issue for Ohio," says Chris Littleton, who's backing the Workplace Freedom Amendment in the state. "It's something we've got to consider and got to research."

Littleton is among those trying to get that Workplace Freedom Amendment on the ballot this year.

It's similar to what Michigan is about to put into law. It would allow people to decide whether they want to be in a union.

"They should have the ability to say, 'No, I don't think that shows enough value for me so I choose not to pay those dues,'" Littleton says. "That's all we want. Freedom for the worker."

Right now workers can decide to not join a union at their company, but they still have to pay what's known as a 'fair share' because that worker is considered to be benefiting from the union.

"You're going to get those union negotiated wages and benefits and everything that's been negotiated by the union," says Charles Morton, President of the Dayton-Miami Valley AFL-CIO.

The amendment would do away with 'fair share'. Those in favor of the amendment argue that unions could just negotiate for those who want to join them and let everyone else negotiate on their own.

But union leaders argue that will leave others without job security.

"I know there's a lot of people who say, 'I can bargain for my own wages,'" Morton says. "But what are they going to do if they don't get what they want? Are they going to quit or be out of a job?"

The other front in this fight is what the amendment would mean for job creation in the state.

Those in favor of it say that 'Right to Work' states create three times more jobs than those without right to work.

"I call it economic jet fuel," Littleton says.

But union leaders point to recent additions like Abbott Labs that show businesses will still come here.

They believe the law is just meant to weaken unions, which is why they think it's really a loss for Michigan and not a win.

"All it'll do is drive wages down," Morton says. "If you don't have somebody negotiating wages that sets a standard, all wages will go down."

Backers of the amendment need about 386,000 signatures by July to get it on the November 2013 ballot.