Ohio's unions flexed political muscle

Associated Press

JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press

Updated: Nov 12, 2012 9:23 AM

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Union leaders are taking a big share of the credit for helping President Barack Obama's win in Ohio.

Sixty percent of voters from union households in Ohio threw their support behind Obama while the rest of the state was split down the middle between the president and Mitt Romney.

Exit polls show Obama also got a slightly bigger share of the union vote in Ohio than he did in 2008.

Organized labor leaders say one reason union members backed Obama in big numbers is the lingering anger over a Republican-led attempt to limit collective bargaining for Ohio's public workers.

The head of the AFL-CIO says that was a wakeup call for union workers.

The president's support for the auto bailout also helped him win votes from blue-collar workers.

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