OHIO: State sees 68 percent bump in opt-outs

Ryan Horan
April 16, 2024

March was a fantastic month for the Freedom Foundation in Ohio, which experienced a significant increase in the number of public employees choosing to opt out of union membership and dues. This change represents a substantial 68 percent improvement over the same time frame in 2023, signaling a growing trend among public-sector workers towards exercising the First Amendment right to decline union membership and dues.

The spike in opt-outs in March was led by Ohio Association of Public School Employees, Ohio Civil Service Employees Association and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 8 members. All three of these unions saw more than 20 members choose to halt their dues deductions. The bump from 2023 was due entirely to the hard work of the Ohio’s outreach team, which sent out thousands of pieces of mail and emails to union members’ homes and inboxes.

- Labor, Ohio, Uncategorized
, OAPSE, OCSEA, Ohio

Ryan Horan

Outreach Coordinator

Ryan graduated from Franklin and Marshall College with a bachelor’s degree in government and Public Policy. He was a member of the Men’s Soccer team, which made NCAA playoffs every year of his collegiate career. Ryan was also a member of the Diplomat Christian Fellowship and volunteered at the Water Street Mission in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. While in college, he interned at the Republic Committee of Lancaster County and was able to see firsthand the integral parts the committee had to offer candidates who were running for office. Ryan joined the Freedom Foundation in the summer of 2020 as an intern for Pennsylvania Outreach team. He is now the Pennsylvania Outreach Coordinator after he graduated F&M in 2021. Ryan is from Norwell, Massachusetts and loves the different outdoor activities the East Coast has to offer. He spends his free time fishing, boating, playing soccer and exploring the city of Boston.