Anti-union measure becomes law in Ohio

[ProSense]

ANTI-UNION MEASURE BECOMES LAW IN OHIO....

Following Wisconsin's lead, Ohio's new right-wing governor, the increasingly-unpopular John Kasich (R), signed an anti-union bill into law late yesterday, limiting the collective bargaining rights of 350,000 public workers.

The 350,000 public workers covered under the law can still negotiate wages and certain work conditions -- but not health care, sick time or pension benefits. The measure also does away with automatic pay raises and bases future wage increases on merit.

It applies to teachers, nurses and many other government workers, including police and firefighters, who were exempt in the Wisconsin measure.

For advocates of working families, the developments surrounding the proposal, known as SB 5, were obviously discouraging, but this is seen as a round-one setback.

Indeed, opponents of the Republican plan now have 90 days to collect 231,148 signatures from at least half Ohio's 88 counties. If they do, the issue will go to voters statewide as a ballot initiative, giving Ohioans a chance to repeal the new anti-union law before it does significant damage.

In the meantime, it's worth appreciating just how offensive Kasich's new law really is. While not identical to Wisconsin's measure, Ohio's public sector workers, in addition to losing some of their collective bargaining rights, makes it harder for union to collect fees, prohibits strikes, and blocks police officers and firefighters from entering binding arbitration.

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[Botany]

1. We have 90 days

Dear Tom ,

Our Founding Fathers must have had extreme characters like John Kasich in mind when they created our system of checks and balances. They must have thought to themselves: what happens if leaders campaign promising to do one thing, but pursue an entirely different (and extreme) agenda once in power?

John Kasich campaigned on one central promise: that he was going to create jobs. After an election in which more people voted against him than for him, Mr. Kasich thought he could defy the will of the people by pushing an extreme, anti-middle class agenda. Tom , he’s about to learn a painful lesson about the will of the people. He’s about to learn a thing or two about checks and balances.

Yesterday, Senate Bill 5 passed in both the House and the Senate, and John Kasich will sign this anti-middle class legislation into law in the coming days. While John Kasich and his buddies in the legislature may think they have the ultimate power, this is Ohio – where the people have the final say. And the Ohio Democratic Party intends to harness the power of our democracy.

Mr. Kasich launched an all out assault on Ohio’s middle class families. Now, it’s our turn to fight back. The Ohio Democratic Party, our friends in Labor and the entire progressive community will be launching a referendum on Senate Bill 5, taking it directly to the people so they can decide.

This is not an easy task; our system was not designed for it to be easy. The system is designed so that only when the people are truly united can a law be overturned. In fact, to repeal Senate Bill 5, we will need to collect more than 230,000 signatures in just 90 days and mount a grueling campaign in which tens of millions of dollars will be spent.

Will you stand united with the Ohio Democratic Party and help us launch our efforts to repeal Senate Bill 5 by making a $5 dollar contribution today?

We have a difficult road ahead, but we are not afraid to roll up our sleeves and get to work to protect Ohio’s middle class.

Here is what we need to accomplish in the next 90 days:
231,149 – Signatures needed to place a referendum of the law on the ballot.
1,000 – Number of signatures needed for petition language to be approved by the Attorney General and Secretary of State, before additional petitions can be circulated.
44 – Minimum number of counties where the petition signatures need to be collected.

Are you willing to support our effort to bring Senate Bill 5 to the people of Ohio so they can decide? This effort will cost millions of dollars. Will you support us with a gift of $10, $25, $35, $50, or even $100 today?

I am proud of all the work we have done to fight John Kasich’s anti-middle class agenda. With your help, we will repeal Senate Bill 5.

Sincerely,

Chris Redfern
Chairman, Ohio Democratic Party

P.S. I understand that not everyone can donate money. But everyone can play a role in this effort. Please click here to find out how you can help send Senate Bill 5 to the ballot, so that the people can decide.