Months after the contentious passage of the budget repair bill in Wisconsin, residents of another Midwest state voted against a measure similar in its attempt to curb rights of public employees.

On Tuesday, Ohioans voted to repeal the controversial collective bargaining law that originated in the state’s Senate, which would have limited the collective bargaining rights of 350,000 unionized public workers.

Similar to the contentious restriction on union bargaining rights that occurred in Wisconsin last spring, the bill had been backed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and the state’s Republican governor, Gov. John Kasich. 

According to the Public Policy Polling statement released Monday before the election, 59 percent of voters were determined to reject the Senate bill and 36 percent wished to approve it. 

PPP also stated Kasich currently holds a 33 percent approval rating, with 57 percent disapproving of his work, making him one of the more unpopular governors in the country.

When Ohioans surveyed by PPP were asked if they would reelect former Gov. Ted Strickland over Kasich, Ohioans said they would by a 55-37 margin, the statement said. 

With very weak support from his state, many were skeptical that Kasich would stop the bill from being repealed.

“We will know how people feel about the law by [Tuesday night], but a clear majority of Ohioans are against the legislation,” David Cohen, University of Akron political science professor and UW alumnus, said Tuesday afternoon before the results were announced.

Mike Schlater, president of Technical Equipment in Cincinnati, Ohio, said passing the bill would have been a positive change for the state.

“It’s a good thing for the local Ohio community because it will enhance the ability of school districts to remain strong for our student population,” Schlater said early Tuesday.

The public employee collective bargaining reform law in Ohio was signed by Kasich last spring and passed with a 17-16 margin in the Ohio Senate.

Right now the Republican Party has complete control over the state government, but Kasich was struggling to gain support to pass his bill.

While the bill parallels to the laws implemented in Wisconsin last spring in many ways, there are also clear differences between the two states’ approaches to restrict collective bargaining laws, Cohen said.

The bill is similar because it intends to reduce or eliminate the collective bargaining rights for public employees.

It is different, however, because the Ohio legislation limits the rights of safety forces, such as police officers and firefighters, which were exempted in Wisconsin.

“In Ohio, the safety forces [that are being protected] have taken the lead in opposing the legislation and organizing opposition,” Cohen said.

The Ohio Senate bill would have greatly hurt university faculty and public school teachers, because it would treat the professors as management, and therefore it would prevent the faculty from organizing unions or collectively bargaining, Cohen said.

Another difference between Wisconsin’s legislation and Ohio’s is the latter allows for laws that have been passed by the state to be challenged through a referendum process if enough signatures can be collected in support.

According to Cohen, a situation like that occurred this summer in Ohio, which resulted in yesterday’s vote against the bill.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.