In a high turnout for an off year, voters in Ohio have overturned the anti-worker SB5 by a 61-39 margin.

In Ohio, the circumstance of a referendum brought to the fore the issue of collective bargaining, rather than submerging it in the program of a candidate or party. In response to the broad character of the assault on rights, the entire labor movement stood together: the private sector with the public sector; and within the public sector, uniformed with non-uniformed. Gathering over a million signatures to get the referendum on the ballot created an army of tens of thousands of union members, who remained active in the campaign that followed.

Multi-faceted communications work — honing the message, spreading the word within labor’s ranks, using actions to gain and maintain media coverage, producing flyers by the fistful, creating a powerful online presence and, in the final weeks, hitting the airwaves with broadcast ads – played a key role in the effort. The strength of this role lay in its close connection to solid, on-the-ground mobilization.

Of note, in the circumstances of the Ohio fight, labor did not hide its light under a bushel, but rather let its torch blaze for all to see.