You are here

Union Rights

Rally around public employees

Fill the Statehouse

Attend two hearings on Senate Bill 5, the GOP effort to destroy collective bargaining for teachers, police, fire fighters and other civic employees.
Today, Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 2:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 17, at 10 a.m.

Committee on Insurance, Commerce and Labor

The Ohio Democratic Party is trying to turn out as many people as possible to these hearings. Join in!

Voice your opinion

Can't attend the hearings? Call, write, and email. Senator Kevin Bacon R-3rd Senate District, chairs the Senate Committee on Insurance, Commerce and Labor, which is holding the two hearings this week on SB 5. Please contact his office to voice your opposition to SB 5.

Letters:
Senate Building
1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Calls: (614) 466-8064
Email: SD03@senate.state.oh.us

Answers for Tea Party supporters

Tea Party members will be coming out to support SB 5. The Buckeye Institute makes it clear that ending collective bargaining is a priority. However, the Ohio Democratic Pary does not want any confrontations between public employees, union members or their supporters and Tea Party members. (And there may be individuals with a different agenda using the Tea Party as cover to antagonize or create problems that would be reported in the media.)
Any interactions between anti-SB 5 and pro-SB 5 Ohioans should be positive.
Messages to the Tea Party should be two-fold:

  • Join us in building and strengthening the middle class in Ohio and America. We are you and you are us. We share the same values, good jobs, affordable health care, a strong economy.
  • Public employees serve you. Did you make coffee or take a shower this morning? They make sure your water is clean. Did you see a nurse in the past year because you or your family member was ill? They help you feel better. Did you shop for groceries in the past week? They stock your shelves with food. Did you drive on roads to Columbus today? Thet pave those roads. Do you feel safe knowing the police or a firefighter is a phone call away? They are your cops and your firefighters.

The truth about public employees

THE TRUTH ABOUT PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

DEBUNKING THE MYTHS

Gov. John Kasich and his bullies are trying to paint a false picture of our hard-working police, fire fighters, civil workers and teachers. teacher.jpgDon't you believe it. Here are the facts about dedicated public servants, as presented by the Ohio Democratic Party.

THE PAY MYTH

  • On average, public employees actually earn $2,000 less than private sector peers
  • On average, public employees are higher educated (48%) than private sector peers (23%)
  • Higher educated private sector employees earn on average $22,966 more a year than public employees

DRAIN ON THE BUDGET MYTH

  • Public employees are not responsible for the $8 billion budget deficit in Ohio
  • Eliminating every state employee job in Ohio would only save $2 billion
  • Budget gaps in states without collective bargaining are 16.7% higher on average than Ohio
  • Anti-union forces are using public employees as scapegoats

THE SACRIFICE MYTH

  • Public employees have agreed to make sacrifices
  • They have taken furloughed days without pay amounting to 10% of annual salaries
  • They have taken four pay freezes in 9 years
  • They are contributing more to their health care plans

Cutting Worker Costs Key To Automakers' Survival

A good story netting out the domestic auto industry labor problem:

"The current per-hour employee cost for U.S. automakers is around 50 percent higher than the costs for their foreign counterparts. The difference, however, is not simply a matter of hourly wage. As it turns out, the real wage discrepancy mostly comes down to retiree benefits."

Unfortunately, it's hard to find any recent reporting about why Detroit can't build cars that people want to buy.

Pages

Theme by Danetsoft and Danang Probo Sayekti inspired by Maksimer