Amy Cox understands that while the economy has rebounded since the Great Recession, millions of Ohio families are still struggling to achieve economic security. Amy will support an investment in our roads, bridges and sewage systems to create thousands of jobs in Ohio. We must incentivize green technology development and welcome new and emerging markets into our state. Amy will vote for tax credits for businesses that hire Ohio workers and support small business investments. By supporting Ohio’s continued economic development, we’ll create new jobs and strengthen Ohio industries.
RIGHT TO WORK LAWS ARE WRONG
Amy knows from personal experience that Right to Work is WRONG and will fight to make Right to Work illegal in Ohio. Right to work laws have reduced the standard of living for workers for our Midwest neighbors in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin. As a teacher in Indiana from 2004-2016, Cox understands the frustration felt by workers in RTW states. The wage gap in teaching alone is $15,000 more per year in Ohio, than in Indiana. Right to Work weakens Union bargaining power, leaving workers less and less, and their employers and special interests with more and more. Right to work weakens entire economies when workers can’t afford to buy the products they produce or purchase goods and services from local area businesses.
“Amy understands that the working-middle class is the backbone of our local economies. When workers are paid a living and dignified wage, they spend that money in the local economies, benefiting everyone. Small businesses suffer when wages are stagnant and deflated.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF PREVAILING WAGE
Cox will support prevailing wage and work to eliminate worker misclassification that leads to loss tax revenue for communities and loss of benefits for workers.
Amy understands the importance of prevailing wage. She knows that when prevailing wage laws are loosened, workers, communities and in effect, everyone takes a hit. When state tax dollars are used on infrastructure and government projects like schools, those jobs should pay a prevailing wage. As of now, our tax dollars are allowed to be used to pay illegal workers low wages that are rarely taxed because they are generally 1099 jobs. A local worker who is paid a prevailing wage will pay the income tax on those wages and still have enough left to buy lunch or purchase services in the areas they are working. An out of town undocumented worker won’t have much left of his deflated wages to spend in the area they work. When infrastructure jobs are allowed to use imported materials like steel, it doesn’t help the local steel industry and its workers. Ohio tax dollars should go to Ohio workers and industry on all infrastructure and government building projects. Period. We can’t afford to build schools every 20-30 years or bridges and highways every 10 years. We need to build our roads, bridges, schools and public areas to last, with nothing but American made materials and Labor like we used to do in the 1950’s, when America’s middle class was strongest. Anything else is only selling ourselves out as Ohioans.
BRING BACK THE MIDDLE CLASS
Amy understands that the working-middle class is the backbone of our local economies. When workers are paid a living and dignified wage, they spend that money in the local economies, benefiting everyone. Small businesses suffer when wages are stagnant and deflated. RTW laws hurt everyone and benefit only a few by limiting the bargaining power for working conditions, benefits, and wages, and making it more difficult for workers to organize if there is a need to organize. Prevailing wages (union wages) raise all wages. When non-union companies have to compete with a prevailing wage (union wages), all workers and thus the economy benefits.
The time has come to save our working-middle class from big, greedy, corporations, and special interests that buy their power with political influence. Cox does not and will not answer to wealthy donors or special interests. She is dedicated to strengthening unions and their bargaining power, by making it easier for workers to organize and protecting those who seek to organize.