Labor
National AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka, signaling how important Ohio’s fight against SB 5 is to the entire labor movement, will address the official KICK-OFF OF THE FIGHT TO WIN THE SB 5 AT THE POLLS, being held this THURSDAY, JULY 21, at 1:30 at the PIPEFITTERS UNION HALL, 1250 KINNEAR RD, COLUMBUS.
Leading the kick-off meeting will be OHIO AFL-CIO PRESIDENT TIM BURGA. This important gathering is OPEN TO ALL OPPOSED TO ANTI-LABOR SENATE BILL 5. Folks are asked to contact Amanda Sabol, if possible, to RSVP for this historic kick-off meeting; RSVP
Having filed an historic 1.3 million signatures, the most, by far, ever gathered for a ballot referendum in Ohio, the real fight is just now set to begin. At a recent meeting in Columbus, Senator Sherrod Brown stated that he expected wealthy supporters of SB 5 to spend over $4 million in an attempt to defeat the referendum. As important and historic as the referendum drive was, it can all be for naught if we don’t get out the votes and win at the polls in November.
Leading the kick-off meeting will be OHIO AFL-CIO PRESIDENT TIM BURGA. This important gathering is OPEN TO ALL OPPOSED TO ANTI-LABOR SENATE BILL 5. Folks are asked to contact Amanda Sabol, if possible, to RSVP for this historic kick-off meeting; RSVP
Having filed an historic 1.3 million signatures, the most, by far, ever gathered for a ballot referendum in Ohio, the real fight is just now set to begin. At a recent meeting in Columbus, Senator Sherrod Brown stated that he expected wealthy supporters of SB 5 to spend over $4 million in an attempt to defeat the referendum. As important and historic as the referendum drive was, it can all be for naught if we don’t get out the votes and win at the polls in November.
The referendum campaign to place SB 5, the legislation to take away public worker’s collective bargaining rights in Ohio, culminated on Thursday in a massive ‘People’s Parade’ to the Secretary of State’s office to turn in petitions. 233,000 signatures, or 3% of the electorate in 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties were needed to qualify the issue being placed on November’s ballot. The huge labor-led ‘We Are Ohio’ coalition got that number, and then some! On Thursday a march of an estimated 10,000 Ohioans wound down Broad St. in Columbus and in turned in 1.3 MILLION signatures!
“This is truly impressive, it really gave me chills,” said OCSEA representative Bill Otten. “Now is when the real fight begins. We have to build a political machine that will represent the people and overcome the millions of dollars the corporate side will spend against us in November.”
“This is truly impressive, it really gave me chills,” said OCSEA representative Bill Otten. “Now is when the real fight begins. We have to build a political machine that will represent the people and overcome the millions of dollars the corporate side will spend against us in November.”
“We can realistically reach a million signatures against SB 5 with the
mobilization we’ve put together now,” stated John Parker, Regional Field Director
for the We Are Ohio coalition. “This is a goal that will build momentum into the
November election. It will show everyone that the union, community coalition
can and will have the horses to reverse SB 5 and gain justice for Ohio’s working
families.”
Unfortunately, we’ve just had another open theft of retired worker’s benefits, this time Whirlpool management stealing the health care coverage of retired former Hoover workers and their families. Once again, we see “Carpetbag” managers brought in from outide our community, Whirlpool, which took over the Hoover plant, coming here to steal from hard-working families who’d earned these benefits. Health care is not some type of “entitlement” for these hard-working families, it is a right guaranteed these folks by the IBEW contract. These working families earned those health care benefits, and gave up wages and other benefits in order to assure that their families would be provided with health care after they retired. Like pirates of old, Whirlpool management has come into our community only to plunder our friends, neighbors, leaving behind diaster while obsconding with the wealth of our community! They’ve done this in other communities across the nation. We say---IT ENDS HERE, RESTORE HEALTH CARE TO THE HOOVER WORKER’S FAMILIES!
SOAR---‘SUPPORT WORKERS, RESTORE HEALTH CARE!’
SOAR---‘SUPPORT WORKERS, RESTORE HEALTH CARE!’
An obscure clause that was slipped into Ohio's infamous anti-union Senate Bill 5 may spell the end of collective bargaining for the state's public college teachers.
SB-5 was passed in the face of bitter controversy and mass public demonstrations at the state capitol in Columbus. It was signed into law Thursday, March 31, by Ohio's new extreme right-wing Governor John Kasich.
But little attention has been paid to the following clause on page 272, which reads:
“With respect to members of a faculty of a state institution of higher education, any faculty who, individually or through a faculty senate or like organization, participate in the governance of the institution, are involved in personnel decisions, selection or review of administrators, planning and use of physical resources, budget preparation, and determination of educational policies related to admissions, curriculum, subject matter, and methods of instruction and research are management level employees.”
Photograph by Bob Studzinski
SB-5 was passed in the face of bitter controversy and mass public demonstrations at the state capitol in Columbus. It was signed into law Thursday, March 31, by Ohio's new extreme right-wing Governor John Kasich.
But little attention has been paid to the following clause on page 272, which reads:
“With respect to members of a faculty of a state institution of higher education, any faculty who, individually or through a faculty senate or like organization, participate in the governance of the institution, are involved in personnel decisions, selection or review of administrators, planning and use of physical resources, budget preparation, and determination of educational policies related to admissions, curriculum, subject matter, and methods of instruction and research are management level employees.”
Photograph by Bob Studzinski
On the same day that Ohio Governor Kasich signed the vicious anti-labor bill, SB 5, Ohio’s labor movement announced the formation of a huge coalition to put that legislation on the ballot in November, and defeat it! While Kasich was preparing to sign SB 5, a massive crowd of angry workers took over the legislative rooms, shutting those chambers down for business.
For over an hour, chants of “Kill the Bill,” “This is what Democracy looks like,” & “Kasich—Get Out” echoed thru the legislative chambers.
Signing of the bill, if anything, has increased the anger and militancy of unionists in the state. Instead of pessimism, labor and allies were holding mass meeting across the state, calling for the bill’s defeat. A rousing town hall meeting at the IBEW hall, legislators and labor called for a fightback against SB 5.
Signing of the bill, if anything, has increased the anger and militancy of unionists in the state. Instead of pessimism, labor and allies were holding mass meeting across the state, calling for the bill’s defeat. A rousing town hall meeting at the IBEW hall, legislators and labor called for a fightback against SB 5.
Photos by Bob Studzinski
Jim Gilbert, President of the Fraternal Order of Police, Capital City Lodge 9, claims that the Republican Party's passing of Senate Bill 5 "has woken a sleeping giant." By a vote of 53-44, the Republican-dominated Ohio Assembly passed Senate Bill 5 on Wednesday, March 30 –- to drastically limit collective bargaining for 360,000 public union workers. The new law requires that no salary increases can be based on seniority, only on performance.
The Senate approved the final version by one vote – 17 to 16. Republican representative Louis Blessing told workers "Be glad you have a job."
Governor John Kasich signed the bill into law Thursday March 31. His press release stated "There is a reason that the union bosses opposed these changes; because it strips power from the union leaders and returns it to the taxpayers and workers."
A better case can be made that Kasich has long plotted with wealthy corporate backers to destroy the base of the modern Democratic Party – the unions.
Jim Gilbert, President of the Fraternal Order of Police, Capital City Lodge 9, claims that the Republican Party's passing of Senate Bill 5 "has woken a sleeping giant." By a vote of 53-44, the Republican-dominated Ohio Assembly passed Senate Bill 5 on Wednesday, March 30 –- to drastically limit collective bargaining for 360,000 public union workers. The new law requires that no salary increases can be based on seniority, only on performance.
The Senate approved the final version by one vote – 17 to 16. Republican representative Louis Blessing told workers "Be glad you have a job."
Governor John Kasich signed the bill into law Thursday March 31. His press release stated "There is a reason that the union bosses opposed these changes; because it strips power from the union leaders and returns it to the taxpayers and workers."
A better case can be made that Kasich has long plotted with wealthy corporate backers to destroy the base of the modern Democratic Party – the unions.
The situation is very fluid, shifting daily, but House Republicans had the votes to pass the vicious anti-worker bill SB 5 today. Organized labor, meanwhile, has built a massive coalition of community, religious, academic, retiree and allied groups to oppose the legislation and has already announced its intention to immediately mount a campaign to put the bill on the November ballot as a referendum.
While we won’t really know the total damage that SB 5 will do until we can see the entire bill, with amendments, we do know that it is a massive corporate attack on the right of public workers to bargain collectively. Among other things, SB 5 would;
• End the right of public workers to bargain collectively over most issues, including health care, safety and pensions.
• Outlaws strikes by public workers.
• Imposes “merit pay” on public workers, meaning bosses can pay those they choose more, while paying others that don’t “suck up” less!
• Sets up a “right to work” (for less) situation for public workers in Ohio, ending closed shops, and thus, the power of workers to bargain effectively.
While we won’t really know the total damage that SB 5 will do until we can see the entire bill, with amendments, we do know that it is a massive corporate attack on the right of public workers to bargain collectively. Among other things, SB 5 would;
• End the right of public workers to bargain collectively over most issues, including health care, safety and pensions.
• Outlaws strikes by public workers.
• Imposes “merit pay” on public workers, meaning bosses can pay those they choose more, while paying others that don’t “suck up” less!
• Sets up a “right to work” (for less) situation for public workers in Ohio, ending closed shops, and thus, the power of workers to bargain effectively.
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Dancing bare-foot while singing Buddhist prayers may seem like an idyllic job, but for Bangkok's shimmering temple dancers it includes incense-choked lungs, dieting, and rare toilet breaks before the music stops on their 40th birthday.
"I feel happy to dance here because I love to dance," Wanpen Mapradit said in Thai during an interview at the glittering Erawan Shrine.
"But even though the salary is good, I would not recommend this job.
"We work every other day, either 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. The incense smoke from the shrine is strong, and my feet often hurt, but I am used to it, because this is my career.
"I earn 19 baht for each dance. The dance is not longer than three minutes. But my salary depends upon how many dances I do. I average about 1,000 baht a day," Wanpen said.
A woman at a nearby desk issues receipts to devotees who pay for each dance.
Fees are listed on a plastic sign attached to a wall.
"I feel happy to dance here because I love to dance," Wanpen Mapradit said in Thai during an interview at the glittering Erawan Shrine.
"But even though the salary is good, I would not recommend this job.
"We work every other day, either 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. The incense smoke from the shrine is strong, and my feet often hurt, but I am used to it, because this is my career.
"I earn 19 baht for each dance. The dance is not longer than three minutes. But my salary depends upon how many dances I do. I average about 1,000 baht a day," Wanpen said.
A woman at a nearby desk issues receipts to devotees who pay for each dance.
Fees are listed on a plastic sign attached to a wall.
It didn’t take long for our state-wide euphoria in Wisconsin over the football Super Bowl victory to dissipate. All it took was new Governor Scott Walker taking office. Ironically, this is the same Scott Walker, who in his previous position as Executive of Milwaukee County, oversaw a public mental health inpatient facility that had unqualified leadership, sexual abuse of women patients by a psychiatrist as well as other male patients, and let its accreditation lapse.