Firefighters

THE TRUTH ABOUT PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

DEBUNKING THE MYTHS

Gov. John Kasich and his bullies are trying to paint a false picture of our hard-working police, fire fighters, civil workers and teachers. Don't you believe it. Here are the facts about dedicated public servants, as presented by the Ohio Democratic Party.

THE PAY MYTH

• On average, public employees actually earn $2,000 less than private sector peers
• On average, public employees are higher educated (48%) than private sector peers (23%)
• Higher educated private sector employees earn on average $22,966 more a year than public employees

DRAIN ON THE BUDGET MYTH

• Public employees are not responsible for the $8 billion budget deficit in Ohio
• Eliminating every state employee job in Ohio would only save $2 billion
• Budget gaps in states without collective bargaining are 16.7% higher on average than Ohio
• Anti-union forces are using public employees as scapegoats

THE SACRIFICE MYTH

• Public employees have agreed to make sacrifices
• They have taken furloughed days without pay amounting to 10% of annual salaries
• They have taken four pay freezes in 9 years
• They are contributing more to their health care plans