Saturday, May 13, 2000

A lack of funding has prompted the Ohio AFL-CIO to drop plans to place three issues on the fall ballot, including one giving patients the right to sue managed-care organizations.

Union President William A. Burga issued a statement yesterday expressing disappointment at the failed campaign.

"There appears to be strong support for the issues,'' Burga said, "but the money just isn't there to put on a successful campaign.''

Labor leaders and state Democrats last month announced their plan to mount a petition drive to put three issues opposed by the Republican-controlled legislature on the Nov. 7 ballot.

In addition to the managed-care issue, the coalition wanted to ask voters to decide on equal pay for equal work for women and whether political influence should be eliminated from the process of legislative redistricting.

Union officials said the issues are consistently ignored by Republicans who control the General Assembly and all nonjudicial, statewide offices.

State Sen. Michael Shoemaker, D- Bourneville, called the issues "sleeping giants with the public.''

Gov. Bob Taft promised as part of his 1998 gubernatorial campaign platform that he would lobby for a law permitting patients to sue managed health-care entities.

However, a liability provision was stripped from a managed-care bill last year. Taft went along with the deletion, arguing it was better to get a partial bill than none at all.

Similarly, a suggested ballot issue mandating equal pay for women bogged down in the legislature.

The union said women in Ohio are paid 72 cents for every dollar earned by men.

The redistricting change would have required a constitutional amendment involving collection of 335,442 signatures.

Sponsors would have needed to gather 100,626 signatures each for the other two issues by the Aug. 9 deadline.