Letters to the Editor

Senate Bill 5

Dear Editor

Ohio Senate Republicans move to end collective bargaining for all state workers

The Harrison County Democratic Party has always been a proud supporter of workers’ rights and Senate Bill 5 is one of the most atrocious attacks I have seen on the hard working, middle class people of Ohio. Senate Bill 5 is a jobs killer. We’ve all seen the news coverage of what is happening in Wisconsin, but the people of Ohio need to open their eyes to what is happening in their own back yard! This week, in a show of strength, union members, and others opposing this legislation turned out in droves to protest at the initial hearing of the bill in Columbus, Ohio.

Interestingly enough, while we have heard so much about the rights of taxpayers, the Governor Kasich’s cronies moved to close the State House to over a thousand OHIO TAXPAYERS who had traveled for hours to voice their opposition to SB5. It took the threat of a lawsuit to provide honest, hard working organized laborers and their supporters access to their own government. Wake up before it is too late. Governor Kasich believes he is above the law. He is willing to make a flawed argument that eliminating collective bargaining rights for state public employees is going to close the budget deficit how about getting rid of his over-priced, arrogant mouth-pieces?

While SB5, introduced by Republican ultra-conservative Shannon Jones, would take away workers’ rights to bargain for benefits and better salaries, Kasich is perfectly content creating high paying positions in his administration and destroying transparency in state government.

Our hard working sate employees deserve better than this. Whether it is the ODOT worker who risks his/her life to clear the roads in the worst of weather or the poor officer of the law, doing his job and getting called “an idiot” by Governor Kasich because the arrogant Governor was stopped and fined for breaking the lawour public employees have earned our support and respect. It is wrong to attempt to balance the state budget on the backs of Ohio’s working families.

Ohio isn’t taking this lying down. Thousands of state employees, students, nurses, teachers and other supporters have come forward to protest this assault on the rights of working men and women.

The Harrison County Democratic Party is proud to stand with state workers. We invite you to stand with us.

Sincerely,

Sherri VanTassel,

Chair

Harrison County

Democratic Party

Letters to the Editor

Senate Bill 5

Dear Editor,

This letter is in reference to SB 5.

Our new governor wants to break the back of unions so that big corporations can tell us what they will pay us, how they will treat us, cut our benefits and we will LIKE IT!

Recent news reports that JPMorgan Chase posted a profit of over 17 Billion (with a B!) profits last year! Their CEO received a 17 million dollar bonus! What is wrong with this picture? Kasich wants to cut pay and benefits for police, fire, social workers, teachers, etc. Wait! Didn’t our current governor work for Lehman Brothers and weren’t these the VERY people who got us into this financial mess?

It’s simple, really.

We, the Working Class Americans, need to demand that our elected government officials outlaw lobbying (keep corporate money out of their hands!) and INSIST on term limits for every elected official!

Let’s get corporate America out of OUR government.

Marie Compston

St. Clairsville

Letters to the Editor

Senate Bill 5

Dear Editor,

As a proud member of the Ohio Education Association and an educator for 15 years, I strongly oppose Senate Bill 5 that would end collective bargaining for public employees.

Our students need their teachers to focus on them and their classrooms. Allowing the unions to represent teachers frees us to do what we do best: Teach.

Teachers are professionals with areas of knowledge and expertise that allows us to best serve the young people of our communities. Taking away our voice in improving opportunities for Ohio’s students, better classroom resources, and improved teaching and learning conditions, will be detrimental to the future of our state.

Senate Bill 5 will hurt our local schools and our kids because taking the unions out of the picture will make it easier for politicians to lay off teachers and cut funding for schools across Ohio.

Think about the long-term destructive effects of Senate Bill 5. Educators, like all public employees, are an integral part of the fabric of Ohio’s communities. We need the opportunity to collectively work with our local school boards to address budget problems without passing a bill that will undoubtedly hurt public schools, local communities and will certainly weaken Ohio. Rather than creating jobs, this legislation is sure to reverse Ohio’s positive economic outlook. This bill would take Ohio backwards and harm students, working families and businesses throughout the state.

What can you do to help support students and working families in your community? The elected officials that represent you need to hear that you oppose Senate Bill 5 and the effort to eliminate collective bargaining. Your individual action is imperative for us to defeat this measure. Please contact Governor Kasich’s office (614-466-3555) and please visit www.ohiosenate.gov to contact your local representatives.

In Solidarity,

Kirstin Wallace,

a proud teacher

St. Clairsville

Richland-City Schools

Editorials

Senate Bill 5

THE SHIFT of political power in Washington, D.C. and in Columbus has created quite a stir as Republican leaders have vowed to slash government spending and get both the nation’s and the state’s deficits under control.

This ongoing fight between fiscal conservatives and their counterparts has begun to erupt into a battle in some areas of the nation. The growing Tea Party movement has supported the GOP’s stance, but recent movements in some states to plug the holes in hemorrhaging budgets has put unions on the defense, and they are rallying the troops.

Some states – including Ohio – are eyeing legislation that would eliminate or reduce public employees’ rights to collective bargaining. Opponents have described the proposals as “union busting.”

In Wisconsin, the new power core has proposed legislation that would tie the hands of union members who are state employees. Wisconsin has become the frontline of a chaotic political battle, with thousands converging on the state capital and Democratic opponents of the measure gone missing – leaving the state to avoid the vote on the floor of the statehouse.

While the nation has turned its eyes to Wisconsin, similar battles are quickly brewing in Ohio and in other states. The Ohio Statehouse has seen its share of protests over the past week, and the frenzy has only begun as public employees – particularly public school teachers – are rallying to put a stop to Senate Bill 5, which threatens to throw a wrench in their ability to enter into collective bargaining.

Ohio’s GOP leadership – especially new Gov. John Kasich – have taken heat for the legislation, but are unrelenting, vowing to take action to help reduce the state’s spiraling deficit. Union members don’t believe the measure will even save the public money, maintaining that “union busting” will only create more problems in the future.

Is this a hard-line effort to be fiscally responsible or is it a governmental maneuver that will lead to the elimination of the middle class? Those are the lines being drawn in the sand.

We’ve not heard the last of drama surrounding Senate Bill 5. In fact, Ohio is on track to share the national spotlight with Wisconsin as the battle lines are drawn with this political powder keg.