Stopping SB 5

* According to a story at CNN International, Gov. John Kasich said '...proposed curbs on the collective-bargaining rights for public employees in the state is to "restore some balance to the system," not destroy unions....'

"We frankly want to give the managers in the local communities and our schools the ability to control their costs so they don't have to raise taxes and drive businesses and more jobs out," Kasich said. "What we're trying to here is to balance it out, to make sure that management has some power and some tools to create to control their costs."

"If the unions want to keep talking and negotiating that's fine, but we don't want binding arbitration, where an outsider comes in and imposes a settlement on a community that the community can't afford," Kasich said.

What term comes to mind when managers have total control and workers have no voice?  I think that I am reminded of terms like indentured servant, and sweat shop.

Before you say that we should believe Kasich, just remember that through his introductions and efforts, the public pension funds of Ohio lost over $400 million when Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy in late 2008.


>>>  Keep up the pressure on Ohio Senate Republicans. Continue to call/email them with the message -Vote No on SB 5.

(graphic from clipsandcomments)

 

 

I was visiting the AFP website (the Americans for their own Prosperity group) and I noticed they've advised their Ohio membership to call and email the state senators.  We cannot allow the members of the State Senate to listen to them, and not us.  Voice your opposition to SB 5 by contacting the following Republican members of the Ohio Senate:

District 1 Cliff Hite (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-8150 Email: SD01@senate.state.oh.us	District 2 Mark Wagoner (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-8060 Email: SD02@senate.state.oh.us	District 3 Kevin Bacon (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-8064 Email: SD03@senate.state.oh.us
District 4 Gary Cates (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-8072 Email: SD04@senate.state.oh.us	District 5 Bill Beagle (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-6247 Email: SD05@senate.state.oh.us	District 6 Peggy Lehner (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-4538 Email: SD06@senate.state.oh.us
District 7 Shannon Jones (R) Majority Whip Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-9737 Email: SD07@senate.state.oh.us	District 8 Bill Seitz (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-8068 Email: SD08@senate.state.oh.us	District 9 Eric Kearney (D) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-5980 Email: SD09@maild.sen.state.oh.us
District 10 Chris Widener (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-3780 Email: SD10@senate.state.oh.us	District 11 Edna Brown (D) Minority Whip Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-5204 Email: SD11@maild.sen.state.oh.us	District 12 Keith Faber (R) President Pro Tempore Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-7584 Email: SD12@senate.state.oh.us
District 13 Gayle Manning (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 644-7613 Email: SD13@senate.state.oh.us	District 14 Thomas E. Niehaus (R) President Statehouse 1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-8082 Email: SD14@senate.state.oh.us	District 15 Charleta B. Tavares (D) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-5131 Email: SD15@maild.sen.state.oh.us
District 16 Jim Hughes (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-5981 Email: SD16@senate.state.oh.us	District 17 David T. Daniels (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-8156 Email: SD17@senate.state.oh.us	District 18 Tim Grendell (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 644-7718 Email: SD18@senate.state.oh.us
District 19 Kris Jordan (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-8086 Email: SD19@senate.state.oh.us	District 20 Jimmy Stewart (R) Majority Floor Leader Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-8076 Email: SD20@senate.state.oh.us	District 21 Shirley A. Smith (D) Assistant Minority Leader Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-4857 Email: SD21@maild.sen.state.oh.us
District 22 Larry Obhof (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-7505 Email: SD22@senate.state.oh.us	District 23 Michael J. Skindell (D) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-5123 Email: SD23@maild.sen.state.oh.us	District 24 Tom Patton (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-8056 Email: SD24@senate.state.oh.us
District 25 Nina Turner (D) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-4583 Email: SD25@maild.sen.state.oh.us	District 26 Karen Gillmor (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-8049 Email: SD26@senate.state.oh.us	District 27 Frank LaRose (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-4823 Email: SD27@senate.state.oh.us
District 28 Tom Sawyer (D) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-7041 Email: SD28@maild.sen.state.oh.us	District 29 Scott Oelslager (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-0626 Email: SD29@senate.state.oh.us	District 30 Jason Wilson (D) Assistant Minority Whip Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-6508 Email: SD30@maild.sen.state.oh.us
District 31 Tim Schaffer (R) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-5838 Email: SD31@senate.state.oh.us	District 32 Capri S. Cafaro (D) Minority Leader Statehouse 1 Capitol Square, 3rd Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-7182 Email: SD32@maild.sen.state.oh.us	District 33 Joe Schiavoni (D) Senator Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 466-8285 Email: SD33@maild.sen.state.oh.us

  

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* Looks like State Sen. Chris Widener, Republican of District 10, did a "cut and run"  before the questions at a townhall got too tough for him.

SpringfieldNewsSun:

....The event at the Heritage Center was billed as a talk about the state’s estimated $8 billion deficit. But most people showed up to discuss a proposal before the state Senate that would cut public employee bargaining rights.

State Sen. Chris Widener, R-Springfield, left for another meeting before talk turned to unions. This left the hosts — Republican Reps. Ross McGregor and Bob Hackett — in the awkward position of commenting on a politically charged issue in the other chamber.

McGregor, who represents Springfield, told the crowd of largely teachers and firefighters that he serves on the House committee that would take up the bill if it passes the Senate. And he expressed misgivings about the bill....

Was Widener too busy to have an open discussion with his constituents?  You might want to try to contact him since he probably didn't get a chance to hear from you.