Don't forget!

Today is the 3rd anniversary of Gov. John Kasich signing SB5. Remind your friends of this sad event in Ohio history. We will remember in November that Kasich and the GOP tried to obliterate the rights of workers in Ohio.  If he is re-elected, he will most likely try again.

How well is Ohio's economy doing under Kasich? If you look at the layoffs posted at ODJFS and the state's ranking on job creation, you'll notice that Ohio is NOT doing well at all.

The list from ODJFS shows just the layoffs from the beginning of 2014: 

Date Received	Company	City/County	Potential Number Affected	Layoff Date(s)	Phone Number	Union	Notice ID
03/24/2014	RMC-USA	Jefferson/Ashtabula	unknown	05/31/2014	unknown	N/A	019-13-061
03/21/2014	Giant Eagle	Rossford/Wood	93	05/24/2014	(216) 591-2729	N/A	007-13-063
03/21/2014	Giant Eagle	Toledo/Lucas	86	05/24/2014	(216) 591-2729	N/A	009-13-062
03/19/2014	USEC, Inc.	Piketon/Pike	unknown	05/19/2014	(740) 897-2923	N/A	001-13-060
03/18/2014	CenturyLink	Mansfield/Richland	83	03/06/2014	(318) 683-2019	N/A	010-13-059
03/17/2014	Beulah Park Gaming Ventures, Inc.	Grove City/Franklin	46	05/01/2014	(407) 831-1600	Seafarers Entertainment and Allied Trade Unions (SEATU)	011-13-058
03/11/2014	PACS industries, Inc.	Mt. Vernon/Knox	90	03/07/2014	(516) 465-7110	N/A	007-13-057
03/06/2014	Consolidated Transport Systems, Inc.	Vanlue/Hancock	20	03/31/2014	(800) 348-8532	N/A	007-13-056
03/05/2014	Sid Tool Co.	Cleveland/Cuyahoga	97	05/02/2014	(516) 812-1035	N/A	003-13-055
03/04/2014	Emerson Network Power	Delaware/Delaware	63	06/30/2014	(740) 833-8598	N/A	007-13-054
03/03/2014	Gannett Publishing Services	Newark/Licking	74	05/23/2014	(740) 349-1171	GCC/IBT	007-13-053
03/03/2014	MACtac	Stow/Summit	113	05/03/2014	(330) 689-3902	Teamsters Local #348	002-13-052
02/28/2014	Dots	Glenwillow/Cuyahoga	96	02/28/2014	(440) 349-7022	N/A	003-13-051
02/26/2014	Bechtel Power Generation	Oak Harbor/Ottawa	155	04/01/2014	(301) 639-7087	N/A	007-13-050
02/10/2014	HDA, Inc/N-Store Merchandising	Various/Various	115	02/03/2014	(314) 770-2228	N/A	099-13-049
02/10/2014	Millard Refigerated Services	Streetsboro/Portage	65	04/07/2014	(402) 896-4709	N/A	019-13-048
02/03/2014	Verizon	Youngstown/Mahoning	160	03/31/2014	(330) 965-8118	N/A	017-13-047
01/29/2014	Lockheed Martin Corp.	Akron/Summit	506	06/26/2014	(407) 306-2629	United Auto Workers, Local 856	002-13-046
01/22/2014	Diversified Machine	Edon/Williams	82	03/31/2014	(419) 272-5326	United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America	007-13-045
01/21/2014	Catholic Charities Corporation	Parma/Cuyahoga	119	03/16/2014	(216) 334-2909	SEIU 1199	003-14-044
01/20/2014	CP Redi, LLC	Columbus/Franklin	80	03/28/2014	(614) 255-0250	N/A	011-13-043
01/17/2014	TeleTech	Amherst/Lorain	192	03/17/2014	(303) 397-8228	N/A	004-13-042
01/16/2014	Schenker, Inc	Circleville/Pickaway	142	02/09/2014	(757) 473-2956	N/A	020-13-041

Innovation Ohio has this:

Ohio lost jobs in February, lags the nation in job creation

March 21, 2014 By Terra Goodnight Leave a Comment

Today, February employment data was released that shows the state’s unemployment rate reaching 6.5 percent, its first dip below the national rate since July. The decline suggests job-seekers are leaving the job market, because the number of Ohioans with jobs actually declined.

In February, the number of Ohioans with jobs decreased by 4,600, with large declines reported in construction and local government. Job numbers for January were also revised downward. As a result, Ohio continues to lag the national rate of employment gains since Governor Kasich took office — just 4.3% compared to 5.3% for the US as a whole.





At the invitation of mega-GOP campaign contributor, Sheldon Adelson, Gov. John Kasich spoke at a big meeting in Las Vegas a few days ago. Those who've heard Kasich's speeches in the past remarked that he delivered his regular stump speech. One audience member called Kasich's speech a "nothingburger." You know what a "notingburger" is---- it is Kosher corned beef on white bread with mayo. Yuck!

>>> John Boehner and the Republicans have caused the economy to lose billions of dollars! How? Politicususa has the details.

Start Worrying

We shouldn't have a greeter at a discount store doing your brain surgery, and we shouldn't have Republicans "reforming" anything. Republicans, especially those of the Tea Party variation seem to have no respect for teachers, firefighters, police officers, nurses, skilled professionals, and regular working people. Republicans, however, think that they can write laws that detail how these professions should operate and how they should be performing.

Ohio's Republicans, under the demands of Gov. John Kasich, created the 'Third Grade Reading Guarantee' for Ohio's public schools (the charter schools are exempt). This will be the first year that third graders will need to pass the exam in order to move onto the 4th grade.  Here is what these youngsters are up against----

Cincinnati:

....For the first time, third-graders who don't pass this school year's test will not be able to advance to fourth grade.

That could be the fate of 1,000 students or more in Southwest Ohio, raising the specter of students taking third-grade reading and fourth-grade math or science, snarling schedules and teaching routines.

Another issue: Students get three cracks at the test, the first one last fall, the second one April 21 to May 16 and the third starting July 7. But results of the July tests might not be back before school starts, so students could actually show up in August for fourth grade – only to be told they're actually still in third grade....

If your child doesn't pass the third grade reading test, please do not complain to your schools. Call the governor and the ignorant Ohio Republicans for setting up your child for failure. Not only did Kasich and the Republicans institute the testing, but they've cut money, programs, and teachers from schools so that their fat cat campaign contributors that own charters can get more money (and fund it back to them). The Republicans want to do away with public schools and the reading tests and funding cuts are their way to reach their goal of charter schools.

If you are a professional educator, you know what psychologists, research, and science have indicated what happens to a child that is retained. Obviously, Kasich and the GOP don't know anything about it.

> Gov. John Kasich is headed to Las Vegas to meet with the kingmaker of Republican politics, Sheldon Adelson.  In the Republican Party big shots and major contributors pick the candidates. The Nation has the details.

* Why are so many Republican men trying to stop women from taking birth control? Paul Ryan wanted to outlaw it, and many Republicans do not want women to take it. Do they want women to be continuously pregnant? Are they trying to eliminate women from the workforce? Do they understand that some women use birth control for medical reasons? Does this mean that Republican women do not use birth control? The next time a male Republican candidate speaks out against birth control, someone needs to ask him if his wife has ever used it or if he uses birth control.

President Obama

Republicans--- Read it and weep!
From Twitter:

 

 

This is why the Republicans are trying to suppress your right to vote in Ohio and other states.

Start asking questions

* Did you know that Republican Rep. Steve Stivers voted to end unemployment benefits for the longterm unemployed? Why is Stivers more interested in protecting bankers than his constituents? Someone needs to ask Stivers how many jobs he has brought back to his district since his election to Congress.

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* If you need an example of how Ohio's economy has hurt small businesses, you only need to look at some of the businesses that close. Working class Ohioans are finding it difficult to make ends meet, and they certainly don't have money to buy extras.  Here are just two examples:

WKBN notes the closing of a company that started operating in 1974.

Akron Beacon Journal reports the shuttering of Thinker Toys in Akron.

Kasich says he has created jobs, but many of us do not see them. Where are the jobs?

The Right to Know

Why is Gov. John Kasich against Tesla Motors coming to Ohio? Does it have to do with the campaign contributions he received????  Plunderbund has answers.

Gov. Kasich is proposing more tax cuts, but there are details that you should know. Your income might not qualify you.  Kasich plans to get more tax cuts for the wealthy. See the Toledo Blade for details.

>>> Gov. Chris Christie had another explosive 'town hall' meeting. Apparently, free speech is allowed  across the U.S.A. unless you are at a forum with Chris Christie.

A Loophole?

Gov. John Kasich is a big advocate for the expansion of charter school. Unfortunately, charter schools take money from traditional public school, don't always accept students with special needs, and are often corporately owned. Charters are exempt from many rules and regulations.

WCBE has noted that the 3rd Grade Reading Guarantee that has been promoted by Kasich exempts students in charter schools.

WCBE:

...The third grade reading guarantee was a controversial issue for which Republican Gov. John Kasich fought adamantly. Now some groups are pointing out a so-called flaw in the system.

Dale Butland is a spokesperson for the liberal think tank Innovation Ohio. He says a student going to a public school and a student going to a private school with a publicly funded voucher are treated differently. If students with the vouchers fail the reading test, they get to move on to fourth grade.

Butland: “Well it’s ridiculous. When you have voucher kids – that is to say kids that get state money, taxpayer funded money – which they then take to a private school – those kids ought to be subject to the same reading guarantee that public kids are.”

John Charlton, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Education, agrees with Butland....

Once again we see how unfairly children are being treated by the Republicans. Not only has the governor cut millions of dollars from funding for education, he also is allowing failing charter students to continue on to the next grade.

I'm positive that parents across the state will be very upset by this loophole for 3rd grade charter school students.

The Republican Way

*Democratic candidate for Ohio Governor, Ed FitzGerald, explained how Kasich's tax cuts hurt people.

WFMJ reported that FitzGerald said that "...If your priority is to continue to lower taxes for the wealthiest people in the state, while raising sales taxes on everyone else and also paying for that by cutting funds to education and local government then you're going to have what you've had for the last few years, local people stuck with the bill."

"...local people stuck with the bill..." Kasich will blame teachers and public schools for going to voters and asking for levies, when the fault lies with Kasich and his cuts to education. Believe it. This is just Kasich, the Republicans, and the Koch Brothers planning to dismantle public schools in favor of more corporate owned (and poorly performing!) charter schools.

If you didn't see the post on what ALEC has planned for Ohio's schools, visit Plunderbund for the details.

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> People across the country are starting to notice the voter suppression bills signed into law by Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican. Why are Kasich and the Republicans so interested in blocking your vote? Why have they cut down early voting and created more requirements for people to vote? The answer is easy---- Kasich and the GOP want to prevent Democrats from voting, especially women, minorities, the elderly, and young people, all who traditionally vote for Democrats. Don't be surprised if the next election has fewer voting machines in Democratic districts, and "poll watchers" trying to strong arm you from voting. It is the Republican way.

>> Meanwhile, over at ODJFS, the layoffs continue in Ohio: http://jfs.ohio.gov/warn/current.stm

**  There is a great opinion piece in the Cincinnati Enquirer explaining how tax cuts don't work. Here is an excerpt from Cincinnati.com:

...I’d be surprised if you can find a middle-class Ohioan who knows they got one state income tax cut in the last decade, let alone six. But almost any Cincinnatian can tell you about the pools that don’t get filled in the summer or how college keeps getting more expensive. 

Unfortunately, more than just not working, tax cuts cost us all. Adding up the changes since 2005, Ohio is losing over $3 billion every year, yet we’re 48th in the country in job growth for the same period. Much of that money has gone to the wealthiest Ohioans and big corporations, while the basic building blocks that are the foundation of strong communities have been neglected....

Taxes are being cut for the wealthy while the middle class deals with the results of less money for our communities. You can blame it all on the Republicans.

I haven't even started to rant about how the Republicans are taking away the rights of women!!!!!!!! My blood pressure is rising so I'll save that for another day.

Something is Wrong!

In case you missed it, Ohio continues to lose jobs. The latest update from ODJFS shows the following announced layoffs:

Date Rec'd Company  City/County Potential Number Affected  Layoff Date(s) Phone Number Union Notice ID 03/03/2014 Gannett Publishing Services Newark/Licking 74 05/23/2014 (740) 349-1171 GCC/IBT 007-13-053 03/03/2014 MACtac Stow/Summit 113 05/03/2014 (330) 689-3902 Teamsters Local #348 002-13-052 02/28/2014 Dots Glenwillow/Cuyahoga 96 02/28/2014 (440) 349-7022 N/A 003-13-051 02/26/2014 Bechtel Power Generation Oak Harbor/Ottawa 155 04/01/2014 (301) 639-7087 N/A 007-13-050 02/10/2014 HDA, Inc/N-Store Merchandising Various/Various 115 02/03/2014 (314) 770-2228 N/A 099-13-049 02/10/2014 Millard Refigerated Services Streetsboro/Portage 65 04/07/2014 (402) 896-4709 N/A 019-13-048 02/03/2014 Verizon Youngstown/Mahoning 160 03/31/2014 (330) 965-8118 N/A 017-13-047 01/29/2014 Lockheed Martin Corp. Akron/Summit 506 06/26/2014 (407) 306-2629 United Auto Workers, Local 856 002-13-046 01/22/2014 Diversified Machine Edon/Williams 82 03/31/2014 (419) 272-5326 United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America 007-13-045 01/21/2014 Catholic Charities Corporation Parma/Cuyahoga 119 03/16/2014 (216) 334-2909 SEIU 1199 003-14-044 01/20/2014 CP Redi, LLC Columbus/Franklin 80 03/28/2014 (614) 255-0250 N/A 011-13-043 01/17/2014 TeleTech Amherst/Lorain 192 03/17/2014 (303) 397-8228  N/A 004-13-042 01/16/2014 Schenker, Inc Circleville/Pickaway 142 02/09/2014 (757) 473-2956 N/A 020-13-041

This list is just from the beginning of 2014.

How can Gov. Kasich claim some economic "miracle" when so many people are losing jobs?

Plans for Ohio Schools Exposed!

Plunderbund exposes Gov. Kasich, the right wing, and the Koch Brothers, and the plans they have for Ohio's schools:

The following letter was sent by Rich DeColibus, former president of the Cleveland Teachers Union, to Lena Pogrebinsky, a current candidate for CTU President.  It it originally appeared on Kathie Bracy’s Blog and we kindly thank her for giving us permission to reprint it here at Plunderbund.

February 25, 2014
Dear Ms. Pogrebinsky,
I obtained the 14-page summary of the Cleveland Plan and read it through.  A few things seem to stand out.  For example, it reads like it was written by the Koch brothers.  An early quote says, “Public education has been shackled by so much – by legal restrictions, bureaucracy, work rules, traditions and the influence of our shared experience growing up in an America not yet attuned to the intensity of global competition.”  While I’m not sure which “legal restrictions” with reference to public education are so awful, my understanding is they prevented bad things from happening and insisted good things do happen, like operating within a balanced budget, mandating so many school days per year, and the like.  Why this is all considered evil I do not understand....


What the Plan really signifies is a state-wide attack on all teacher unions and associations, using the Cleveland Plan as the perfect school-reform model.  The fact the Plan will do very little, if anything, to improve student performance will not be allowed to impede the sacred task of rendering all teacher unions in the state de minimus.  And, it gets better.  In January of 2015, there’s going to be a concerted push by conservative Republicans to enact right to work legislation in the state; the proof of this is in the repeated denials that, “Right to work is not on our agenda.”  It isn’t, that’s true, but only because they’re not past the November elections yet.  See, it’s not just teacher unions they dislike; they are intent on attacking all unions in the state.  And, yes, they won’t make the Senate Bill 5/Issue 2 mistake again; the legislation will be crafted in such a way that a citizen petition and election referendum on it will not be possible.  The goal is to become the new Mississippi; Cleveland just gets to be first in the new world order.....



If you think that Kasich and the Kochs gave up with the failure of SB5, you are mistaken.