Two months before what appeared to be a likely victory in the Nov. 4 election, the union-led coalition backing Ohio's mandatory sick-days proposal abruptly decided to drop the issue today.

Becky Williams, president of District 1199 of the Service Employees International Union, said that the sick-days proposal, which would have been Issue 4 on the ballot, will be pulled "to avoid a negative and divisive campaign fight that could hurt Ohio."

"Ultimately," Williams added, "that fight just didn't make sense for Ohio workers."

Appearing today at a hurriedly called news conference at the Downtown branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Williams, Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown said they now will push for a national sick-days law. That approach also is supported by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

After weeks of unsuccessful mediation brokered by Strickland, the union's leadership bowed to political realities: They didn't want to run afoul of a popular governor whose election the union supported, and they faced fierce, well-funded opposition from the business community. Williams said the union spent about $1.8 million on the issue.

The withdrawal apparently began taking shape during informal discussions last week at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, attended by Strickland and many of the main players.

Also a factor was Obama's support for sick days in his acceptance speech. He said, "Nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their job and caring for a sick child or an ailing parent."

However, the decision wasn't formally made until a Wednesday conference call involving leaders of the union-led coalition of statewide groups.

"It was going to be a very, very nasty, negative campaign," said Dale Butland, spokesman for the Ohio Healthy Families coalition. "That could become poisonous."

The proposal, if approved by Ohio voters, would have required all Ohio businesses with at least 25 employees to give workers seven paid sick days a year. Part-time workers would have received a pro-rated amount.

The coalition began its sick-days push last year, collecting signatures to send an initiated statute to the General Assembly. It stalled there when GOP lawmakers refused to act. The coalition gathered nearly 242,000 more signatures, far more than the 120,683 valid names needed to put the issue on the ballot.

Williams, who was elected just last month as District 1199 president, said she is "absolutely optimistic" about the prospect for passage of a national sick-days law.

"I believe we are all committed to make it not just the law of Ohio, but the law of the land."

Brown and Obama are among the sponsors of a sick-days proposal pending in the U.S. Senate. Brown said it will be "part of a Democratic agenda starting in January."

Still, union leaders know they are rolling the dice since there is no certainty that Obama will be elected and no promise that a federal law will be enacted.

The reaction from the business community and state political leaders from both parties was swift and universally supportive.

Ohio Chamber of Commerce President Andrew E. Doehrel praised "the courage Gov. Ted Strickland exhibited as he worked diligently to protect Ohio's economy from this extremely costly proposal."

Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, and Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, both opponents of Issue 4, issued statements calling the withdrawal a victory for Ohioans.

Strickland said that he made no promises or threats to the union coalition.

"Did I make a deal? I made no deal," he said. "The only thing that I did was indicate that I would support the federal legislation."

At the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, officials and attendees reacted with relief today.

"Gov. Strickland has made a good move," said Jim Dicke II, chairman of Crown Equipment Co., manufacturer of electric forklifts in New Bremen. "It was going to be a terrible problem for job-creation in Ohio."

State GOP Chairman Robert T. Bennett said he disagreed that the SEIU's real motive for putting the amendment on the ballot was to help turn out the Democratic vote in Ohio for Obama.

"I think they're pretty good at turning out the vote anyway, but I think they misjudged the reaction from small businesses. I went to my dry cleaners the other day and the owner complained to me about it."

Dispatch reporter Mark Niquette and Senior Editor Joe Hallett contributed to this story.

ajohnson@dispatch.com