Overtime

Republicans have spent heavily — about $19 million through mid-October — on ads in competitive Ohio races promoting the tax law dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill," the largest such ad push of any state this cycle. The pitch aims to boost vulnerable GOP candidates, including Sen. Jon Husted, who faces Democrat Sherrod Brown in a tight Senate race, by highlighting tax cuts on tips, overtime, and Social Security. But polling shows the message struggling against voter frustration over tariffs, inflation, and gas prices; a New York Times/Siena poll found 79 percent of likely Ohio voters disapprove of President Trump's handling of gas prices, complicating Republicans' efforts in a once reliably red state.

Current and former employees of AGI Cargo at Miami International Airport have filed complaints with Miami-Dade County alleging roughly $13,200 in unpaid wages among three workers. The complaints, filed Oct. 3, allege the company requires some staff to remain on call between flights without pay and calculates overtime using a reduced rate. The workers' union, 32BJ SEIU, says AGI employs about 900 people at MIA handling cargo ranging from pharmaceuticals to seafood. AGI disputes the allegations, saying employees are paid for all hours worked and that overtime beyond 40 hours is paid at time-and-a-half; it attributes variable schedules to the unpredictability of cargo flights compared with passenger service.

The dispute coincided with a Monday rally where airport workers and officials, including Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, protested a Florida law barring local governments from setting airport contractor wages above the state's $15 minimum after September 2026. Miami-Dade currently mandates higher contractor pay rates tied to health benefits. MIA generates $212 billion in annual statewide business revenue and is the nation's busiest cargo airport.

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, held a special council meeting after Police Chief Quanderius Sanders publicly flagged a staffing crisis within the department. The issue came to a head Monday when only four officers, including the chief himself, were available to cover the city, forcing Sanders to work alone for six hours before backup arrived. He said all calls, including a domestic incident, a fire, and a hit and run, were handled during that window.

Council members pressed the chief on whether overtime was a factor, but Sanders attributed Monday's shortfall to sick calls coinciding with a shift to standard eight-hour schedules from 12-hour shifts, a change intended to curb overtime costs. Sanders said he needs nine additional officers but faces recruitment struggles, citing competing offers from other agencies with higher pay. The starting wage is just over $19 an hour, and while the mayor acknowledged city employees deserve raises, he said any pay increase must be implemented responsibly.

The Ohio Mayors Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of city leaders, is urging the state to create a Public Safety Enhancement Fund equal to 10% of local police and fire payroll costs. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb promoted the plan this week as part of a broader set of priorities the group wants Ohio's next governor and General Assembly to address, arguing that state support would help cities recruit, train and retain first responders amid rising personnel costs.

Based on Cleveland's 2026 budget figures, which list combined police and fire salary totals of about $237.6 million, a 10% allocation would translate to roughly $23.8 million for the city. That estimate is illustrative only: the proposal has not been enacted, and officials have not defined exactly what would count as "payroll," so the final formula could yield a smaller amount. Benefits such as health coverage and pensions are budgeted separately and are not included in the calculation. This marks the Alliance's second attempt at tying state aid to local public-safety payroll after a similar 2025 budget proposal was not adopted.

Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne and Council President Dale Miller are directing county departments to cut spending after years of overspending left the budget badly out of balance. An Aug. 14 memo asks general-fund departments to cut 3.3% and those funded by the Health and Human Services levy to cut 8%, especially if a proposed levy renewal fails. Despite a hiring freeze and $12 million in cuts already made this year, the general fund is projected to end 2026 with a $19.2 million deficit and the HHS fund with an $18 million shortfall, pushing both below required reserve levels.

Steeper cuts target the Sheriff's Office, Common Pleas and Juvenile courts, the Fiscal and Prosecutor's offices, and HHS-funded divisions including Children and Family Services and Senior and Adult Services. Officials cite rising labor costs, jail overtime, and new programs like Universal Pre-K and a homeless youth campus as contributing factors. A 2.5-mill HHS levy on November's ballot could ease — but not eliminate — the need for further reductions in 2027. Department proposals are due by mid-September, with County Council reviewing the budget afterward.