A second Ohio law enforcement union has taken sides in the governor’s race — and this one bargains contracts for police officers in Tiffin.

The Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association endorsed Democrat Dr. Amy Acton on Tuesday, one month after the state’s largest police union threw its support behind Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. The OPBA is the certified bargaining agent for personnel at the Tiffin Police Department, and it has represented the deputy and dispatcher unit at the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office under an agreement filed with the State Employment Relations Board.

The union put collective bargaining at the center of its decision.

“OPBA’s primary focus is strengthening collective bargaining rights. Dr. Acton shines in that area. She understands how the state works, knows the challenges that law enforcement officers face every day, and will work to preserve our ability to collectively bargain as a union and address the serious concerns that arise from policing and protecting such a diverse state,” said George Sakellakis, whom the union identified as its director of government relations.

OPBA Executive Director Tom Austin framed the endorsement around public safety and public employment.

“The Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association is proud to endorse Dr. Amy Acton’s campaign for governor of Ohio because we know that she will fight for our police officers and Ohio’s public employees, protect our families, and strengthen public safety to ensure safer communities,” Austin said. “Dr. Acton understands the critical role that law enforcement plays in protecting Ohio communities and will stand alongside our members to ensure safety across the state.”

The union says it represents more than 8,000 public employees working across law enforcement in Ohio, operating out of four regional offices. Its members include police officers, corrections officers, sheriff’s deputies and dispatchers.

The police vote is split

The endorsement lands on the other side of a line drawn a month ago. On July 21, the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio — the state’s largest law enforcement union — endorsed Ramaswamy and his running mate, Ohio Senate President Rob McColley of Napoleon. The FOP backed an all-Republican statewide slate, which the union described as the first time in recent memory it had done so.

That was a shift. In 2018, the Ohio FOP endorsed seven of eight Democratic statewide candidates. By 2022, that number was one.

Acton’s campaign has been assembling public safety endorsements on the other track. The Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters, which says it represents more than 14,000 firefighters and retirees, endorsed her earlier this month in Cincinnati. Four major public service unions endorsed her in December, and the Dayton Building and Construction Trades Council broke from its statewide affiliate in April to back her.

Why collective bargaining is the fault line

For public safety unions in Ohio, the phrase carries a specific memory. Senate Bill 5, the 2011 law that would have stripped bargaining rights from police officers, firefighters, teachers and other public workers, was repealed by voters 61% to 39%. Seneca County rejected it by 25 points.

Ramaswamy’s chief strategist, Jai Chabria, and his campaign spokeswoman, Connie Luck, both worked on the effort to save Senate Bill 5 from that repeal.

Acton, in the campaign’s announcement, tied her answer to the same two issues the OPBA raised.

“I am incredibly honored to receive the endorsement of the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association. The OPBA represents hardworking Ohioans who have dedicated their career to protecting their communities and providing essential services,” Acton said. “As governor, I will protect collective bargaining power and our public pensions, stand alongside our public safety officers, and strengthen public safety to ensure that all Ohioans feel protected.”

The rest of the coalition

The campaign lists more than 20 labor organizations backing Acton, among them the Ohio AFL-CIO, the United Auto Workers, AFSCME, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, the Ohio Nurses Association, SEIU District 1199, the Communications Workers of America, United Steelworkers District 1, the United Mine Workers of America and the North Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council. A full list is posted on the campaign’s website.

Acton, a physician and the former director of the Ohio Department of Health, is running with former Ohio Democratic Party chair David Pepper. She has built her campaign around affordability, including a working families tax cut and a state prescription drug purchasing platform.

Ramaswamy, a Cincinnati-born biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, is running with McColley, whose 1st Senate District covers a stretch of northwest Ohio. Ramaswamy has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and the Ohio Republican Party.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.