Action Alerts
In early March, employees of the Wexner Center for the Arts at the Ohio State University came together to form Wex Workers United in an effort to collectively establish a union at their workplace. These employees are advocating for a fair and equitable workplace, the right to negotiate for wages and benefits and to have a voice in important workplace issues such as safety. They are demanding dignity and respect on the job.
While having received the Wexner employees’ petition, with signatures from an overwhelming majority of employees, the Co Interim Directors Megan Cavanaugh and Kelly Stevelt, as well as OSU President Kristina M. Johnson, PhD, and Melissa L. Gilliam, MD, MPH Executive Vice President and Provost, have remained unmoved and disinterested in addressing employee concerns. Wex Workers United is demanding that the Ohio State University and its leadership respect the employees who are organizing by either voluntarily recognizing the employee union or by putting forward a consent agreement calling for a free and fair union election.
Please sign and share this petition to support AFSCME Council 8 and the brave Wex workers organizing for a union.
Remember Rep. Jean Schmidt's terrible abortion ban bill? They're still moving it forward.
The Ohio House Government Oversight Committee has scheduled the second hearing on House Bill 598, the abortion "trigger" ban. Why do we call it a trigger ban? Because it will ban all abortions in Ohio, but it won't go into effect right away, it has to be triggered by certain conditions, those include the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the Roe v. Wade decision.
Thursday, May 19, 12noon-1pm, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, 345 S. High St.
For nearly 18 months now, the family of Casey Goodson, Jr. has had to fight for accountability for his murder. While this fight has long focused on Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade (@convictmeade), the fight also requires accountability from the government agency that enabled a sheriff’s deputy with a violent history to take Casey’s life.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office hired, trained, and enabled a violent deputy who eventually took the life of Casey Goodson, Jr. Following Casey’s murder, they never fired Jason Meade or took any official action against him. They instead allowed him to retire and keep his pension, funded by taxpayer dollars.
Eventually, Meade was indicted for murder, but only after the prosecutor’s office delayed that indictment by waiting six months to appoint special prosecutors. Gary Tyack’s office ran on a platform of police reform and thus far that promise has not only gone unfulfilled, but they have decided to stand with Jason Meade to the detriment of this family and this community.
Wednesday, May 18, 12noon, Ohio Statehouse
H.B. 434 — The “Advanced Nuclear Technology Helping Energize Mankind (ANTHEM) Act” — is another radioactive taxpayer boondoggle that has passed the Ohio House and has moved on to the Ohio Senate! They haven’t even revoked H.B. 6 yet, and not one of the conspirators in H.B. 6 has gone to jail, but this is an even bigger swindle.
One company stands to benefit — eGeneration, of Cleveland — and the floodgate will be open for others. This is Corporate Welfare! H.B. 434 will create an unaccountable nuclear agency with no responsibility to the public.
The agency will be buried in the notoriously secretive JobsOhio nonprofit corporation, excused from public accessibility under the Open Records Act, the Sunshine Act, and Ohio’s ethics laws; will have no budget limits on use of taxpayer funds; provides no financial protections for the public from accidents or spills; is vague about radioactive waste handling and disposal, and many other important aspects.
Speakers: Pat Marida, Ohio Sierra Club’s Nuclear Free Committee; Terry Lodge, Attorney; and others.
Tuesday, May 17, 6pm, this on-line event requires advance registration
Join us to figure out how to do your part in helping us fight anti-voter legislation in the state while also calling for the repeal of the “collaboration ban” to protect election officials. This will be an extensive training on how to write a letter to the editor (LTE) to your local newspaper.
RSVP for this event by using this link.
Hosted by ACLU of Ohio.
Monday May 16, 2022
Please Join us for our National zoom.
Regular Monday 5 P.M. ET 2 P.M. PT ZOOM LINK: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYldumtrjIiH9L7_KfcFV1n8ynuO3anTGwp
ROE v. “Settled History”
Christian Nunes, NOW
Indigenous Originalism
AZ & the Brakey Bill
Time to Change Elections
Green v. Diablo
NC/PA Primaries
Maga v. Democracy
2000 Mules
Documentary Insanity
Green v. Nukes
Lovins Report
Forever Mass Killings
http://electionprotection2024.org
Sunday, May 15, 1-3pm
Bridge Park, 6741 Longshore Street, Dublin OH
The event will be held near the Pedestrian Bridge at Bridge Park, Dublin.
It is more than two and half months and the war in Ukraine continues to tear at our hearts and consciousness. But it is slowly, inevitably, becoming background noise to people outside our community.
It is important to keep Ukraine in the eyes and minds of our neighbors. Join us at the Pedestrian Bridge at Bridge Park in Dublin, one of the most exciting new places in Central Ohio. Sunday afternoons bring a lot of people strolling across the bridge, enjoying the new park, or heading for one of the many trendy restaurants. Bring your flags and your hearts, and be prepared to share your story, or the story of your relatives in Ukraine, with those interested in Ukraine. We cannot support Ukraine alone.
Saturday, May 14, 11am-12:30pm
RSVP: https://bit.ly/ColumbusDOA
If the conservative U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade this summer, twenty-six states, including Ohio, are poised to ban abortion.
In our lifetime, we have seen the complete destruction of abortion access, and it has never been more important to physically show up for abortion rights.
Rally with us on Saturday, May 14th at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus as we prepare for what’s to come on Decision Day and show that we won’t stop fighting to preserve our right to abortion and bodily autonomy.
Saturday, May 14, 7-8:30pm, this event will be occurring via Zoom
Since we aren’t getting together in person, we can gather for a couple of hours on the second Saturday night of each month, 7-8:30pm, on Zoom.
Learn about local union organizing at the May Free Press Second Saturday Cyber-Salon
• International Workers Day
• In celebration of May Day
• Union organizers from Starbucks, Amazon, OSU, City of Columbus, and Labor Notes
A question-and-answer period will be included.
If you have any announcements for the progressive community, contact us at 614-253-2571 or at <colsfreepress@gmail.com>.
Please use this Zoom link to join this event.
Hosted by The Columbus Free Press.