WSJ:
Americans strongly oppose efforts to strip unionized government workers of their rights to collectively bargain, even as they want public employees to contribute more money to their retirement and health-care benefits, the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows.
Eliminating collective bargaining rights for public-sector workers over health care, pensions or other benefits would be either “mostly unacceptable” or “totally unacceptable,” 62% of those surveyed said. Only 33% support such limits.....
Clearly, the American people do not support or appreciate the anti-union campaign being waged by the Republicans.
Last night on the Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman called the union protesters in Madison "slobs" on live TV. Tonight, he refused to apologize for his remarks, and went on and described them as "...a different breed...."
Here in Ohio, the committee votes on SB 5 looked a little tenuous for the Republicans. In order to get the bill out of the committees, the Republicans got dirty. Lawrence O'Donnell retold how Ohio Republicans swapped out 2 anti-SB 5 Republicans on two committees. O'Donnell said he had never seen such a "corrupted move" and later called the maneuver "sleazy."
SB 5, unfortunately, did pass in the Ohio Senate.
Which State Senators voted for SB 5?
Ohio Senate:
03/02/2011
Yeas - 17
| Bacon | Beagle | Cates | Daniels |
| Faber | Gillmor | Hite | Jones |
| Jordan | LaRose | Lehner | Obhof |
| Schaffer | Stewart | Wagoner | Widener |
| Niehaus |
Nays - 16
| Brown | Cafaro | Grendell | Hughes |
| Kearney | Manning | Oelslager | Patton |
| Sawyer | Schiavoni | Seitz | Skindell |
| Smith | Tavares | Turner | Wilson |
I've linked the names of the state senators who voted for SB 5 just in case you wanted to let them know how you feel about their support for the anti-middle class bill.
According to the Online Filings Homepage for Lobbyists in Ohio, a lobbyist for Americans for Prosperity (Koch financed lobbyists) has filed a form indicating that she did indeed have an "engagement date" on 1/3/2011 with members of the state legislature:
| http://www2.jlec-olig.state.oh.us/olac/Reports/InitialView_Legislative.aspx?id=22852 | |||||
| One more thing---- Do you remember that claim by Ohio Republican State Sen. Tom Niehaus that union protesters has defecated in the Statehouse? Here is what Politifact Ohio had to say about his charge: | |||||
| ...As Senate president, Niehaus is one of the most influential people in the state government and when he speaks people listen. Yet this claim is beyond inaccurate. It's a ridiculous assertion that is unsupported by the people who actually take care of the Statehouse. Statements that are both inaccurate and ridiculous get a special rating on the Truth-O-Meter: Pants on Fire. | |||||