Ohio Workers Come out in Droves to Oppose Republican Bill

(Ohio Democratic Party)

Ohio Workers Come out in Droves to Oppose Republican Bill

By Seth Bringman on 02/10/2011 @ 12:50 PM

Yesterday, Republicans in the State Senate, led by ultra-conservative Shannon Jones of Springboro, introduced SB 5, a bill to end collective bargaining for public employees. In a show of strength, union members and other opponents of this legislation came out to the Statehouse in droves to oppose the bill.

Some key points to keep in mind about Senate Bill 5.

1. SB 5 is a jobs killer. It will weaken the Middle Class in Ohio

2. Anyone who supports SB 5 is destroying jobs in Ohio and harming the Middle Class

3. If SB 5 passes, shops, stores, gas stations and other merchants in communities across this state will lay off workers or shutter their windows and close their doors

The Columbus Dispatch had this to say about the massive turnout for the first hearing of Senate Bill 5:

Signaling the war ahead, more than 800 firefighters, police, corrections officers and other public workers packed the Statehouse yesterday to display their opposition to a sweeping GOP-backed attempt to limit the power of public unions to negotiate pay and other terms of employment.

The crowd of union workers was remarkable for an initial bill hearing. It not only filled the large hearing room to capacity - stacked three deep in the balcony - but also spilled into two other rooms and the spacious atrium.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer said:

Hundreds of those workers, including nurses, firefighters and prison guards, packed the statehouse in protest as Ohio Sen. Shannon Jones, a Republican from Springboro, described details of her plan for the first time.