Posted on 11/09/2011 3:22:25 PM PST by mdittmar
Cincinnati Fire Fighters (IAFF) member Doug Stern says yesterdays overwhelming rejection of Gov. John Kasichs (R) attempt to eliminate collective bargaining rights of workers like firefighters, nurses, teachers, bridge inspectors and others shows:
[T]he citizens of Ohio spoke and they made it loud and clear that the focus of government should be on creating sustainable middle class jobs, rather than pushing a partisan political agenda.
Stern, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and Louise Foresman, a member of Working America from Cleveland, took part in a telephone press conference this afternoon about the stunning victory for working families that sent Issue 2 down to a 61 percent to 39 percent defeat. Says Trumka:
Last night the people of Ohiofrom autoworkers to teachers and firefighters to jobless workerssent a message that will reverberate across the country: politicians need to stop scapegoating workers and pushing an extreme partisan agenda. They need to instead work to create jobs for working people and commit to restoring balance to our economy.
The Ohio victory, the Occupy Wall Street movement, the earlier uprising in Wisconsin and other battles across the nation show, says Trumka, that working families are fighting back against, the dramatic overreach of many politicians in Ohio and across country.
Working people will continue to raise their voices. The 99 percent who didnt get rich while wrecking the American economy have decided to stand up for ourselves and demand a fair share.
Foresman, who works in a nonunionized workplace, says she believed Issue 2 was an:
attack on all working people. Our governor is fond of saying that A rising tide lifts all boats. But what he was proposing would have lowered all boats our boats cant afford anymore holes. A lot of people who voted against Issue 2 are not unionized.
Polling by Hart Associates for the AFL-CIO backs her up. It shows that nonunion voters opposed Issue 2 by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin. In addition, moderate voters voted No by a 70 percent to 30 percent edge and independent voters lined up against Issue 2 by 57 percent to 43 percent. Overall, voters polled say they believe public employees should have collective bargaining rights by a 66 percent to 27 percent.
The Ohio victory matters everywhere, says Trumka.
What you can take away from yesterday is that working people, the 99 percent, are standing up to corporate CEOs to say, Enough.
Voters elsewhere also cast their ballots against Republican overreach, including in Arizona, where citizens recalled Russell Pearce, the Republican president of the state senate known who drafted the states extreme anti-immigrant law. In Maine, voters repealed a new law enacted by state Republicans to end a 40-year state tradition of allowing people to register the same day as voting. In Kentucky, state Senate President David Williamsa clone of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walkerwas easily defeated by incumbent Gov. Steve Beshear (D).
My niece was one of those teachers who had been honored, but who got laid off the same year. She got a teaching job in a private school, and said she will never go back into the public system, even at less pay. I have a feeling many newly laid off teachers will follow her in her footsteps.
If I'm Ohio dictator, I run several of the same provisions through immediately again. Make the unions spend ALL their dirty money. Bankrupt 'em.
Er, it’s not up to Kasich. In fact, what he said was exactly correct: there will be layoffs at the city and county levels because there is no state money to subsidize them. And the cities and counties now will be the bad guys.
#1: Put them on the same status as their fellow citizens in the private sector (the point IIRC of SB5 and Issue 2), that is pay half at least of the cost for their medical benefits, pensions, and other "benefits". #2: Raise taxes on everyone including themselves. #3: Start laying their a**es off by the bus load.
The Inevitable is the shortfall in Ohio State revenues and now Solution #1 has been eliminated. Solution #2 won't fly during a deep recession and as long as we have a Republican governor, House, and Senate or any combination of the three. So we're left with Solution #3. I hope they enjoy all the new free time.
“”Elections have consequences and the 30 million dollar bid by the unions will lead to a lot of unionized employees ending up with nothing at all, simply because we have not what their union demands of us.”
My niece was one of those teachers who had been honored, but who got laid off the same year. She got a teaching job in a private school, and said she will never go back into the public system, even at less pay. I have a feeling many newly laid off teachers will follow her in her footsteps.”
Exactly, because of the labor union rules that have been upheld in this election many of the teachers who are laid off will be among the best teachers.
Yet anther fact Ohio Republicans need to to spend the next year dwelling on, in reminding the people what Union money has fooled them into doing.
The people of Ohio should resent the labor unions that abuse them. So let there be 4 talking points:
1: Ohio will now lose jobs to the rest of the world because of the union imposed cost of operation.
2: Many of the best union employees will be laid off because of the union imposed rules and our inability to pay their price.
3: Public Sector union employees would continue to have their money taken from them to be spent on other political campaigns.
4: The People of Ohio will continue to get diminished services for the money they are forced to pay for the same placing at an ever-greater disadvantage.
5: No matter how much money you give to people to spent it will not stimulate our economy if the cheapest products(which everyone buys) is made in everyone else’s economy.
...nonunion voters opposed Issue 2... 52 percent to 48 percent... moderate voters voted "No"... 70 percent to 30 percent... independent voters... 57 percent to 43 percent. Overall, voters polled say they believe public employees should have collective bargaining rights by a 66 percent to 27 percent.That means the "moderates" are much bigger than the other two "groups".
Voters elsewhere also cast their ballots against Republican overreach, including in Arizona, where citizens recalled Russell Pearce, the Republican president of the state senate known who drafted the state's extreme anti-immigrant law.We need to hang the AFL-CIO (figuratively of course) with this anti-employment, anti-union, anti-American statement. The AFL-CIO can't support the American worker since it supports illegal immigration.
Get ready for the layoffs.
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