Just Say No to SB 5

by Gonzalo Baeza  |  March 30, 2011

Today, the Ohio state House is set to vote on Senate Bill 5 (SB 5), a bill that would strip collective bargaining rights from 350,000 public service workers in the state.

SB 5 is one of the cornerstones in Gov. John Kasich’s plan to balance Ohio’s $8 billion budget deficit on the backs of working families, bust unions and tilt the power balance towards corporations.

He is already paying a stiff price for his heavy-handed tactics. According to the most recent polls, Ohio voters disapprove 46 – 30 percent of the way the governor is handling his job and they think 53 – 36 percent that Kasich’s budget is unfair to them.

Among SB 5’s numerous anti-union provisions, the bill prevents nonunion workers who benefit form collective bargaining contracts from paying a fair share fee. The bill also allows for paycheck deception, effectively taking away the right of union members to have a voice on critical workplace issues like wages and benefits or health and safety.

But regardless of how the House votes, this battle is far from over. AFSCME members in Ohio are working hard at circulating petitions to gather the more than 250,000 signatures needed to put a “NO on SB 5” referendum on the fall ballot. If legislators don’t want to heed the people’s will and act as democratically elected representatives, then they’ll have to listen to the voice of Ohioans when they vote to overturn SB 5.

If you are in Ohio, make sure to join this fight and help redress this anti-democratic attack on workers. If you can make it to Columbus, the House is scheduled to convene at 1:30 p.m. and vouchers will be distributed starting at 11 a.m. A rally for public workers will take place from 4-6 p.m.