The union representing Ohio’s professional firefighters endorsed Democrat Dr. Amy Acton for governor on Monday, adding a public safety union to a labor coalition that has been building behind her campaign since last fall.

The Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters announced the endorsement Monday morning and made it official later in the day during an Acton campaign stop in Cincinnati. The OAPFF says it represents more than 14,000 full-time professional firefighters and retirees in more than 300 locals across Ohio.

“The OAPFF is enthusiastically endorsing Dr. Amy Acton’s campaign for governor of Ohio,” said Jon Harvey, president of the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters. “Dr. Acton is the only candidate in this race who will protect unions in Ohio, stand up for working people, and make life more affordable for everyone. We know she will always have our backs.”

Harvey, a Middletown fire captain elected OAPFF president in 2022, told WCPO in Cincinnati that the union’s endorsement process is bipartisan, and that it looks for the candidate who cares most about firefighter issues rather than a candidate of a particular party. He said Acton understands what collective bargaining means to the state and has stood on picket lines with union members.

Acton, in the announcement, tied the endorsement to the policy fight that has defined organized labor’s relationship with Ohio state government for 15 years.

“I am so grateful to receive the endorsement of the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters,” Acton said. “Ohio’s professional fire fighters work tirelessly to keep us safe, and as governor, I will do my part to protect them and their families. I am committed to standing up and advocating for our public safety officers, keeping right-to-work laws out of our state, and lowering costs for working families. I will fight to build an Ohio where working people don’t just get by, but thrive.”

Why collective bargaining is the firefighters’ issue

Firefighters were among the public employees covered by Senate Bill 5, the 2011 law that would have stripped collective bargaining rights from teachers, police officers, firefighters, dispatchers and other public workers. Ohio voters repealed it 61% to 39%, and the OAPFF was central to the repeal campaign. The union still features a documentary about the fight on its homepage.

That history sits directly in this year’s race. Ramaswamy’s chief strategist and his campaign spokeswoman both worked to defend Senate Bill 5 at the time. Public-sector unions the bill targeted have largely lined up behind Acton, including four of Ohio’s largest public service unions, the Ohio Federation of Teachers and the Ohio Nurses Association.

Right-to-work is the other line. Ohio has not enacted such a law, which blocks mandatory union membership and dues; every state bordering Ohio except Pennsylvania has one, according to the Dayton Daily News. That outlet sent both campaigns identical questions last week about right to work, prevailing wage and project labor agreements. Each replied with a written statement rather than an interview. Acton’s statement committed her to keeping right-to-work out of Ohio and to defending prevailing wage and project labor agreements.

What it means in Tiffin

The OAPFF is the Ohio state association of International Association of Fire Fighters locals. Tiffin’s full-time firefighters are represented by IAFF Local 322, which holds a collective bargaining agreement with the city on file with the State Employment Relations Board.

The Tiffin Fire/Rescue Division has provided full-time protection to the city since 1894 and merged with EMS in 1997. At full staffing it has 36 firefighters and two chief officers, with a minimum of nine on duty, operating out of two stations.

Union households remain a meaningful share of the northwest Ohio electorate, though a shrinking one. Ohio had roughly 987,000 union workers in 1989, or 21.3% of the workforce, according to federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data cited by the Dayton Daily News. By 2025 that had fallen to about 610,000, or 11.6%. Locally, the North Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council has endorsed Acton; the Northwest Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council is backing Ramaswamy. Acton campaigned in Tiffin in October, before the primary.

Cost of living, and a lopsided budget

Acton told WCPO in Cincinnati that affordability drives the rest of her platform, describing Ohioans who are working harder than ever and doing everything right while the math still does not add up. Her working families tax cut is capped at $85,000 in household income. She has also said she would require union labor at new data centers as one of six conditions before allowing them to be built in Ohio.

She is running at a steep financial disadvantage. Ramaswamy has loaned his campaign $25 million, and the pro-Ramaswamy super PAC V PAC: Victors not Victims has reported spending about $14.5 million on advertising, funded largely by out-of-state billionaires including Elon Musk, who gave $5 million in May. Combined spending on Ramaswamy’s behalf totals about $32.4 million, roughly eight times the $4.4 million Acton’s campaign has spent on digital advertising and direct mail, Signal Ohio reported.

Acton drew on that gap in Cincinnati, telling WCPO her plan cuts taxes for working families rather than for billionaires like Musk.

The money has not settled the race. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved Ohio’s governor contest from Lean Republican to Toss Up in July.

Ohioans vote Tuesday, Nov. 3.