MotherJones:
Think tank Innovation Ohio has released some stats about that state's governor, John Kasich, who is trying to kill collective bargaining with a bill called SB 5 and who recently slashed funding to services people sort of need, like schools and firefighting.
But the Ohio legislature isn't spreading the pain equally—namely, not among themselves. According to IO's most recent report, Kasich took a raise of more than $10,000 over the last governor's salary, bringing his pay to $148,165. And exempted the salary from the SB 5 provision that cuts automatic annual raises for other public employees. And lied about how much he pays his staff, whose senior members make $110,000. Also unaffected by the recent massive budget cuts is the Ohio General Assembly's minimum salary of $60K—for a part-time job in a state where the average worker makes $40K. Of course, 62 of the 70 legislators who voted for SB 5 make more than that minimum. Those 62 receive annual bonuses up to $34k.....
When the Ohio Republicans talk about "shared sacrifice" they are not including themselves or their corporate buddies.
If you need to hear another reason why SB 5 is bad, Cincinnati Firefighter Doug Stern provides an example in the Business-Journal:
"Issue 2 will take away important, vital decisions about safety," remarked Sgt. T.J. Assion of the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 141. Those decisions will be taken our of the hands of the "working professionals that are doing the jobs every day and place it in the hands" of the same politicians who exempted themselves from S.B. 5's provisions, he said. In many instances, they don't understand the safety issues involved.
"Fires can get up 600 degrees inside. If I can't go in farther, I can't find someone to rescue them," Stern said.
Stern cited an incident a few years back in Xenia, where firefighters' request to replace 10-year-old fire gear, as mandated by their contract, was opposed by a council member who was looking out for his "pet projects" and his own interests. "He wasn't going to save that money to put it toward more staffing or better equipment. He was going to use it for a project that would help him get reelected," Stern said.....
"Fires can get up 600 degrees inside. If I can't go in farther, I can't find someone to rescue them," Stern said.
Stern cited an incident a few years back in Xenia, where firefighters' request to replace 10-year-old fire gear, as mandated by their contract, was opposed by a council member who was looking out for his "pet projects" and his own interests. "He wasn't going to save that money to put it toward more staffing or better equipment. He was going to use it for a project that would help him get reelected," Stern said.....
Do you want someone else to determine staff levels, safety equipment, class size, nurse to patient ratios, staffing requirements for police, other than those doing the jobs? Shouldn't workers have rights?
Vote NO on Issues 1, 2, 3.