Retired Union Leader Slams Derek Merrin As Ohio Workers Continue To Stand With Rep. Kaptur

Retired Union Leader Slams Derek Merrin As Ohio Workers Continue To Stand With Rep. Kaptur

August 24, 2026

"We know who Marcy Kaptur works for and that's the kind of representation worth fighting to keep"

COLUMBUS, OH - As Republican corruption in Columbus and Washington raises costs for Ohio families while billionaires and corporate special interests line their pockets, Ohioans are slamming Derek Merrin for failing repeatedly to stand up for workers. Last week, a retired union leader's letter to the editor in the Toledo Bladehighlighted how Derek Merrin and Rep. Marcy Kaptur's records could not be more different. Emphasizing that labor's fight is "for every working person trying to build a decent life," the author draws a sharp contrast between Rep. Kaptur, who "understands that," and Merrin, who has given "little reason to believe he does." The letter also calls out Merrin for supporting efforts to "take paid sick leave away from public employees" and backing legislation that "would have made it harder for workers to organize and bargain for fair wages and safer workplaces" - and makes clear that he is "not someone who's a friend of working people."

On the other hand, Ohio workers know that they have a leader "who will actually have your back" in Rep. Marcy Kaptur. As a lifelong fighter for Ohio workers, Rep. Kaptur has earned the largest coalition of labor support in this race. Unions are lining up alongside her including ACT Ohio, AFSCME Power in Action, Amalgamated Transit Union, Association of Flight Attendants, IAFF Local 92, Ohio AFL-CIO, Ohio Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, Ohio Brotherhood of Carpenters, Ohio Conference of Teamsters, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Nurses Association, Painters & Allied Trades District Council No. 6 State of Ohio and Central Kentucky, Service Employees International Union, UA Local 50 Plumbers, Steamfitters & Service Mechanics, United Auto Workers, and United Steel Workers.

While Merrin gets slammed for his anti-worker record, read more from a retired union leader about how he has "never known anyone more committed to the working people of Ohio's 9th District" than Marcy Kaptur.

Toledo Blade: To the editor: Retired union leader recalls Kaptur's record

• I had the privilege of working with Marcy during my time as business manager for IBEW Local 245, and in all those years, I've never known anyone more committed to the working people of Ohio's 9th District.
• The kind of public servant Marcy is has become increasingly rare. She understands that the job is about serving the people who sent her there. Marcy listens to all of us, she represents all of us, and she fights for all of us.
• You can see that in what she has delivered for northwest Ohio. She's fought to make sure our farmers have the resources they need to keep growing the food that feeds our communities and keep their family farms sustainable for future generations. She delivered funding to build the Veterans' Glass City Skyway and strengthen the 180th Fighter Wing, one of our region's greatest sources of pride. And after a local World War II veteran came to her with an idea for a national memorial, she turned that dream into a reality. That's why it's crucial to have a representative like Marcy in our corner.
• While we're getting crushed by this affordability crisis that just keeps getting worse and our workers are getting their hard-earned protections and labor power rolled back, we need someone who understands that the fight for good jobs, fair wages, and strong unions isn't just labor's fight - it's a fight for every working person trying to build a decent life for themselves and their families. I know from working with Marcy that she understands that. Her opponent, Derek Merrin, gives me little reason to believe he does.
• As mayor of Waterville and then again as a state representative, he supported efforts to take paid sick leave away from public employees. He backed legislation that would have made it harder for workers to organize and bargain for fair wages and safer workplaces. That's not someone who's a friend of working people.
• After a lifetime in organized labor, I've seen plenty of politicians show up on a picket line with a camera crew during election season. You learn pretty quickly who is there for the photo op and who will actually have your back when something is on the line. Marcy is one of the few I've always known I could count on.
• Washington already has enough politicians treating Congress like a fast pass into the VIP section - desperate for a key to a locked room filled with billionaires, corporate interests, and powerful donors who can bankroll their next campaign, no matter what strings come attached. Working people don't need another politician begging to be let in. We need someone willing to break down the door, show the American people exactly who's inside, and fight like hell to take our government back from the powerful elites rigging the system against us.
• We know who Marcy Kaptur works for and that's the kind of representation worth fighting to keep.

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