Ohio Senate Republicans move to wipe out collective bargaining for all state workers

Ohio Senate Republicans move to wipe out collective bargaining for all state workers

http://fwix.com/columbus/share/0f29d3d6d2/ohio_senate_republicans_move_to_wipe_out_collective_bargaining_for_all_state_workers?referrer=http%3A%2F%2Frawstory.com%2F

Wednesday, February 9, 2011 12:50 PM
By Jim Siegel
The Columbus Dispatch

Arguing that state and local governments need the ability to adjust to the new economic paradigm, Senate Republicans today unveiled details of the most sweeping attempt in 27 years to limit the power of public unions to negotiate terms of employment.

The measure attracted a large group of union supporters to the Statehouse. The crowd inside spilled into the atrium, where a sound system was set up so they could hear testimony. Outside, several protestors clad in yellow shirts and carrying signs that urged a no vote demonstrated on the sidewalk.

The stakes are huge.

The R's look for any opportunity to break unions. God forbid workers in this country have any power or control. If corporations are not given free reign to walk all over us, they could move jobs overseas... oh, wait, they've already done that!

:mad:

of how the Union rank and file felt or just an isolated example of a few individuals, but here it goes...

I was campaigning in a labor hall in Cleveland. I was running against a republican state Senator who made news by scapegoating gays and blabbing all the time about protecting the 2nd amendment and to top it all off, said it was the "inner city" welfare people who were taking all the money from the state budget...

What he didn't talk about and the news didn't cover was his strong anti-union stance or his support for turning Ohio into a nuclear dump site.

So this guy came up to me at a Union Meeting and went right up to me and said "I ain't voting for you because your gonna take my guns..."

Then I was campaigning in an almost all white suburb in the district in an area were a lot of retired Union folks lived. I knocked on this guys door and the first thing he said to me was "Your gonna let N*****Rs move in" and all I could say was I guess you're going to vote for the other guy and he barked out "Damn Right"...

So, the republicans have artfully deflected their real agenda by playing on base fears of the middle class.

It's hard to fight 40 years of that bullshit.

Damn right it's hard to fight 40 years of bullshit.

If the Unions would only stand up for themselves and actually strike and demand other Unions stand with them things might change. As long as they play nice the abuse is going to continue..
Can you imagine if Teamsters actually stopped trucking and Laborers actually stopped laboring the country would grind to a stand still. Virtually every single thing you buy comes from trucking...

Most truck freight in this country, and by that I mean the vast majority moves on non-union or independent motor carriers.

And the imbeciles who supported that scab labor over union by purchasing their products are just as guilty.

Anyone who thinks they would be going after unionized state workers with a million and a half UAW members like we used to have is nuts. First off there would be no "crisis", to begin with. Back when we had those union autoworkers there was plenty of money for everyone. How do I know? I lived through it.

Don