Thousands Descend on Ohio's Capitol in Protest of Anti-Union Bill

From [HERE] Columbus - Chants of "Kill the Bill!," "Recall!" and "O-H-I-O, Kasich's Ass Has Got To Go!" were the soundtrack for thousands of protesters who descended on Ohio's State Capitol Tuesday morning to demonstrate against Republican efforts to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights.

 Senate Bill 5, which passed by the narrowest of margins in a 17-16 vote last week, would allow state and municipal employees to bargain only for wages. Health benefits, pension plans, hours, vacation time, working conditions and all other terms of employment would be off the table.

 In the event that a deal cannot be reached between a public sector union and management on wages, the legislative body with jurisdiction would be allowed to step in and accept its own last offer made. Strikes would also become illegal for public sector workers.

 "This is the most powerful attack on workers in our time. But is also raises the most important question of economic justice in our time," U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who was at the rally to support protesters, told EconomyInCrisis.org.

"This really is important for everyone that cares about working people, whether it's union or non-union. This is about the essence of democracy."

Many view the legislation as an attack on public workers and a tool to dismantle public sector unions, most of which have a long history of supporting Democratic candidates and causes.

But Republicans and proponents of the bill claim that the move is absolutely necessary to close an $8 billion budget gap in the state. According to their view, providing school boards, city councils and other elected bodies with more flexibility in negotiations will go a long way toward that goal. 

"I think you have to make these difficult decisions. This isn't an anti-union bill. This is a pro-taxpayer bill. This isn't an attack on the unions. This is a step in the right direction. I think Gov. Kasich deserves credit for what he's doing," said David Spealman, a campaign coordinator with Freedom Works, a group known for fighting against progressive causes and more so for being instrumental in the creation of the anti-government Tea Party movement.

Others that support the deal complain that public workers' salaries and benefit packages have become out of line with those in the private sector. That comes at the expense of the taxpayer, they believe and the burden on taxpayers is putting a drain on the economy, they say.

"The more we pass it off, the more my generation has to deal with it. I'm looking to get into the job market after I graduate college. If this doesn't get fixed, we're going to see jobs leave the state, and maybe me with them," said Andrew Sherboska, a 20-year-old student studying political science and history.

But that view was held by very few on the Statehouse lawn. The vast majority of the crowd of over 1,000 were decidedly against the bill.

Greg Bizzarri, a retied teacher from St. Clairsville, Ohio, said the scene was reminiscent of 1983, when Democratic Gov. Dick Celeste awarded public sector workers with the right to organize and bargain collectively.

"I was around when Dick Celeste signed the collective bargaining bill. I came up and lobbied on the bill. I don't want to see the state take a step back 30 or 40 years," he said.

"When it passed, they thought the sky was going to fall. The sky didn't fall."

In fact, things have actually improved since that time. Bizzarri said he can remember times before collective bargaining when public employees would engage in illegal wildcat strikes that would disrupt school and safety services. In those days, there were about 60 to 70 of those strikes each year. In the past 12 months, there have been just two strikes among public sector unions, he said.

"When you have a collective bargaining agreement, everyone knows what's expected of the other side," he said. "They sit down mutually, talk and agree to disagree."

Not all in the crowd protesting the measure were members of public sector unions. Nor were all the protesters union members. Some were average citizens fighting back against what they felt to be an overreach by Republican lawmakers.

"I have never been a member of a union; I'm here fighting for the rights of all people. I'm here fighting for a voice. I'm here fighting for all of the wonderful people who worked for me, and gave their lives and their skills and their talents to this wonderful state," said Ronda Kenneman, a retired public sector worker who moved on after 31 years of service.

Dietrich Simpson, a unionized worker with AT&T who was attending the protest to show solidarity with his fellow members of organized labor, said that the bill is an attack on all working class Americans. He believes that if Gov. Kasich's administration is successful in their efforts, private sector unions are sure to come under attack.

"It's only a matter of time and we all know it. All the corporations are watching," he said.

"We're the one's that drive the economy. If we don't have jobs, they're going to be effected as well. Bottom line, we're the one's that buy their products. Our failure is going to be their failure in the long run as well."

The legislation is controversial not just in its content, but also in the legislative maneuvers used to pass it. On two separate State Senate Committees, Republican leadership removed a wavering member of their own caucus to ensure passage. In each committee, the bill passed with a 7-5 margin. The one Republican vote on each committee against the bill could have stopped it dead in its tracks.

It now moves on to the Ohio House, where it is expected to be debated for about three weeks. Republicans hold a major edge in the legislative body, and it is expected that the bill will eventually pass.

Protesters, however, are holding out hope.

"The people's voice is the strongest thing that America has," Kenneman said.