News and Analysis
New Employer Liability Exposure Removed in Final State Budget
June 30, 2017Before the General Assembly completed work on the state budget Wednesday, the joint House and Senate conference committee removed a problematic provision that the Senate added just a week earlier. The provision created a new civil cause of action that could be used against businesses that attempted to restrict firearms in workplace parking lots.
It is currently illegal, under Ohio law, for an employer to prohibit any person with a valid concealed handgun license from properly storing such firearm and ammunition in his or her vehicle on the employer’s property.
The proposed civil cause of action would have subjected employers to potential compensatory damages and/or any equitable relief, including injunctive relief that a court may find appropriate. Further, if a plaintiff were successful in the cause of action, employers would have also been forced to pay court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees. Instead the conference committee clarified that only injunctive relief is permissible.
OMA had signed onto this joint letter with co-members of the Ohio Alliance for Civil Justice to press elected leaders to remove the provisions. 6/29/2017
OMA Launches Manufacturers Marketplace
June 23, 2017
The OMA announces the launch of the Manufacturers Marketplace, a new and first-of-a-kind digital marketplace featuring interactive listings and detailed information on more than 300,000 leading U.S. manufacturers, including 15,690 in Ohio.
“Created in collaboration with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the Manufacturers Marketplace is a valuable tool for manufacturers in Ohio and the U.S.,” OMA president Eric Burkland said. “The Marketplace will quickly help companies find potential U.S. customers and suppliers. Manufacturing in Ohio has experienced dramatic growth since the Great Recession, and the Marketplace will continue to support that growth.”
“Manufacturers in the U.S. need the best tools available to compete and win — and the Manufacturers Marketplace is unlike any resource the industry has to create new business and support more American jobs,” said Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers. “What Google and Yahoo did for online searches, Manufacturers Marketplace will do for buyers and seller in the manufacturing economy whether they’re large or small firms. As only the NAM and OMA can do, we’ve created the most comprehensive, simple to use and innovative industry network in the market.”
The Manufacturers Marketplace works by including manufacturers of all sizes whether they are a member of the OMA or the NAM or other participating state manufacturers’ associations. As manufacturers access the Manufacturers Marketplace, they are prompted to search and then claim their listing. From there, registered users are prompted to expand their listings with detailed information, including additional locations, certifications, equipment, capacity and much more. As businesses add information to the listings, the Manufacturers Marketplace becomes an even more powerful tool — a tool that enables manufacturers of all sizes, sectors and points in the supply chain to find and be found, mitigate risk for their business and increase visibility among the largest pool of potential partners.
Manufacturing members of the OMA qualify for the annual member price of $500, a $2,000 savings. Go to Manufacturers Marketplace and use the June discount code of 0617OHIO47HA. Sign up for the weekly Friday webinar demos to learn more. 6/19/2017
State Budget Nears Finish Line
June 23, 2017On Wednesday, the Senate voted out the state operating budget, House Bill 49, after adding hundreds of amendments.
A joint House and Senate conference committee will reconcile differences between the budgets created by the two chambers to create a final bill.
House participants on the conference committee are Reps. Ryan Smith (R-Bidwell), Scott Ryan (R-Newark), and Jack Cera (D-Bellaire). Senate members include Scott Oelslager (R-Canton), Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville), and Mike Skindell (D-Lakewood).
The conference committee will meet multiple times before completing its work by Tuesday, June 27. The full House and Senate must accept the conference committee report and send the bill to the governor who must approve the bill by midnight June 30. The governor may exercise line-item veto authority. 6/22/2017
Senate Adds New Employer Liability Exposure to Budget Bill
June 23, 2017Among the hundreds of law changes made to the state budget this week, the Senate slipped in a provision that would create a new civil cause of action that could be used against employers that attempt to restrict firearms in workplace parking lots.
If a business or private employer is found liable, a court may award compensatory damages and other relief, including attorney’s fees, according to this memo by OMA general counsel, Bricker & Eckler.
The memo notes that passage of SB199, the “bring your gun to work bill,” which became effective earlier this year, was bad for Ohio employers’ private property rights, but that “(t)he creation of a new private right of action for allegedly aggrieved employees is potentially worse.”
OMA signed onto a letter to House and Senate leadership with numerous other Ohio business organizations urging the removal of the provisions. The organizations wrote: ” … language now included in ORC 2923.1210 that was passed last year and opposed by many of our organizations allows individuals to store firearms in their privately-owned vehicles on employer property under certain circumstances. Amendment SC5837, which is both overly broad and vague, would exacerbate this problem by adding significant liability for all property owners and employers throughout the state.” 6/22/2017
See How Senate Would Fund Your Schools
June 23, 2017The Senate made some changes in funding for the coming biennium, as it passed the state budget bill on to conference committee. Check out this spreadsheet to see how your schools would be affected. 6/22/2017
NAM Leader Urges Congress to Get to Work on Infrastructure
June 23, 2017Earlier this month, NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons sent a letter to all members of the U.S. House and Senate urging Congress to take effective, timely action on infrastructure revitalization.
His letter laid out a specific set of priorities, Building to Win, that calls for improvements in every aspect of infrastructure from repairing and upgrading America’s bridges and tunnels to accelerating the implementation of NextGen air traffic management technology and upgrading runways and airports to world-class standards.
Timmons wrote: “Insufficient infrastructure jeopardizes U.S. manufacturers’ ability to compete in the global marketplace—and it’s infrastructure that gives a competitive advantage to other countries at the expense of the American worker.” 6/16/2017
Cleveland Area Manufacturer Elected OMA Chair
June 16, 2017
Pictured: Scott Balogh (l), elected OMA chairman with Bill Sopko (r), immediate past chairman
At its annual meeting this week, the OMA board of directors elected Scott Balogh, President & CEO, Mar-Bal, Inc., of Chagrin Falls to lead the organization for a two-year term.
Balogh succeeds William (Bill) Sopko, President, William Sopko & Sons Co., Inc., Euclid, as chair of the OMA board. Bill will remain on the board.
Jane Neal, Senior Vice President, AMG Vanadium, Inc., of Cambridge was elected first vice chair.
To accurately represent Ohio’s manufacturers’ interests, the OMA board is comprised of 30 senior level executives and owners of small, medium and large Ohio manufacturing firms from across Ohio’s diverse geography and from a wide variety of manufacturing industries. OMA directors, including the leadership positions, are all volunteers. 6/13/2017
Senate Unveils Budget Changes
June 16, 2017This week the Senate Finance Committee unveiled its first round of changes to House Bill 49, the state budget bill. The sub bill was designed to address the expected $1 billion shortfall which is based on the latest tax receipt estimates.
State agencies would see their budgets cut on average three to four percent.
While the budget makes reductions in many areas, Senate leaders point out that both school funding and money to fund opioid addiction treatment were increased.
The committee will accept a second round of changes early next week. The Senate has signaled that it intends to vote the bill out of its chamber by the middle of next week. After passage by the Senate, the bill will go to conference committee where House and Senate leaders will work out differences in the legislation. The chambers work against a clock of June 30 by which date the bill must be signed by Gov. Kasich. 6/15/2017
Manufacturing Matters to the American Public
June 9, 2017The public has weighed in. Survey findings show manufacturing is deemed vital for economic prosperity, but why are many Americans not interested in pursuing manufacturing careers?
Examine survey results from Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute’s sixth U.S. public opinion of manufacturing study. 6/6/2017
Legislative Leaders Meet with OMA Members
June 9, 2017
Senator Bob Peterson, Senate President Pro-Tempore, (R-Sebina), and Rep. Mark Romanchuk (R-Mansfield) were guests of the OMA’s Government Affairs Committee meeting this week.
Sen. Peterson updated members on the state budget and unemployment compensation. Rep. Romanchuk encouraged manufacturers to engage on legislation to protect competitive electric generation markets.
Additional topics on the agenda included: the “Ohio Drug Price Relief Act” campaign; manufacturing workforce initiatives OMA is undertaking; 2018 election preview; and federal issues that affect manufacturers.
It’s easy for members to join this committee to receive meeting invitations and meeting materials. Update your communities at My OMA. 6/8/2017