More than 100 rally to repeal SB5

There were dozens of Democrats and other folks interested in ending John Kasich's threat to the middle class at the Rally for Repeal May 15 at Upper Arlington High School.

There was brisk business at the table where petitions were available for voters to sign. And all three Columbus television stations interviewed Gov. Strickland, who defended teachers, firefighters, police officers, nurses and other public employees against the attack of extremists.

SB5 repeal training and meeting with Sen. Sherrod Brown

Saturday, May 14

Home of George and Libby Kalbouss

1370 Wyandot Road, Grandview Heights, Ohio 43212

9 a.m. Brief training session on collecting signatures while canvassing

10 a.m. Meet with Sherrod Brown

Please RSVP: T.Johnson3000@yahoo.com or 614-604-5722

Free and light refreshments

Help!

There are many jobs in addition to door-to-door canvassing: Staffing tables at public sites, inviting neighbors to drop by and sign, you name it. Or you might help recruit petition carriers, organize volunteers, double-check petitions as they are handed in, or fill other needs.

Volunteer at carolyntc3@gmail.com .

Thank you for helping stop the extremists' attack on the middle class!

Petition drive needs you!

The effort to end SB5 -- the GOP attack on teachers, firefighters, police officers, nurses and other public employees -- will soon be under way.

Petition wording has been approved and is on the way from the printer. By mid-week, supporters of Ohio's middle class could start collecting signatures to put a repeal referendum on the statewide ballot.

We are organizing volunteers in U.A., and we need you. Don't like door-to-door canvassing? There will be many other ways for you to help -- for example, staffing tables at public sites or making sure completed petitions get handed in.

Please click "Stop SB5" above to register so you can receive up-to-date information on volunteering!

Come together to discuss how to best coordinate a statewide strategy to oppose Senate Bill 5, tuition increases and budget cuts, and the privatization of some of Ohio's public universities.
Contact: Will Klatt

Intitial petition signing for repeal of SB5
Sunday, April 3
2-6 p.m.
SEIU District 1199 Offices, 1395 Dublin Road, Columbus, OH|
All registered voters wishing to participate in the campaign to repeal SB5

The times, they are a'changin'

Lloyd Benston famously said to Dan Quayle, "Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy." And we say to John Kasich, "Governor, you are no Ted Strickland." In three short months, you have torn apart this proud state -- threatening every group that dares express an opinion that doesn't line up with your agenda.

Here's what the Bully on the Bus is up to:

Making teachers, firefighters, police officers, nurses and other public employees the fall guys. Remember, immediately after the election, he said, “I am waiting for the teachers’ unions to take out full-page ads in all the major newspapers, apologizing for what they had to say about me during this campaign.” (Spingfield News-Sun) (Ironically, many union members voted GOP -- and now regret checking "Kasich" in the voting booth.)

Hiding budget cuts. Claiming to boost K-12 funding when schools actually will see cuts of 6.1 percent in the budget's first year and 4.7 percent in its second year. (Huffington Post)

Cutting programs for the poorest of the poor, vulnerable elderly, the handicapped while crowing about "protecting" the richest of the rich. As Ohio Rep. John Patrick Carney (D-Clintonville) told NBC4 in Columbus,"If they [nursing homes] are laying off 6,000 people, what are we going to do with respect to making sure the quality of care that the individual in those homes are getting?"

Taking away women's rights by banning abortions if there is evidence a fetus has a heartbeat -- which could be as early as 18 days after conception. (ABC News)

Disenfranchising voters. The Ohio Senate is considering a bill passed by the House that makes Ohio's existing requirements more stringent, blocking students, the working poor, the elderly, racial minorities, and people with disabilities -- who are twice as likely not to have the approved forms of ID. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

The list goes on. And remember, Kasich took office in January! What is ahead?

Progressives cannot take this lying down. As Ted Strickland said in a March 19 speech, It's time to fight. now -- and the next two years.

Think it won't hurt you?

Reliable sources tell UAPA that the City Council is already contemplating how to make up the approximately $110,000 less that Kasich's budget proposal will mean for Upper Arlington. Not much? Right? But what about the $2 million to $4 million annually from estate taxes that will be gone if Kasich and his cronies have their way? (Our information was confirmed in the March 27 Dispatch, " 'Hypothetically, if they both go away, what are the ways to restore our revenues?' asked Wade Steen, an Upper Arlington councilman.")

That will definitely mean an increase in INCOME TAX for each of us. What a way to take a responsibility off a priviledged group and load it onto the entire middle class! (Maybe Kasich is protecting the $500,000 in bonuses he got from Lehman Brothers.)

Remember, shortages roll downhill. When the state won't pay, cities, towns, libraries, school districts and public colleges and university students must. (And that means YOU.)

Wisconsin teacher reveals why she is protecting her union

Time to stand up for Ohio's middle class

Come to the Ohio Statehouse (1 Capitol Square, Columbus, Ohio 43215) Tuesday, February 22, at 1 p.m. to protest the attempt to end collective bargaining in Ohio!

If ever there was a time to show up, stand up and let our voices be heard, it is now. The fate of Ohio’s middle class is on the line at the Ohio Statehouse. Your presence will send a strong message and help efforts to defeat Senate Bill 5 and the rest of the GOP’s anti-middle class agenda.

Wear your work uniform if applicable (fire fighter uniform, scrubs, etc) OR wear red. RSVP.

Can't attend on Feb. 22?

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in opposition to SB 5. Tips and contact information for your local newspaper.

Attend a phone bank to engage other activists in activities against Senate Bill 5. Find the phone bank closest to you.

Here's what you can say about Ohio Senate Bill 5

• SB 5 is a jobs killer. It will weaken the middle class in Ohio.
• Anyone who supports SB 5 is destroying jobs in Ohio and harming the middle class.
• 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.
• For almost 28 years, collective bargaining has: Reduced labor strife; reduced the likelihood of strikes; and improved training and productivity among public employees.
• The repeal of collective bargaining will do nothing to balance the budget because: 9 percent of the state budget is for state employees; firing every state employee in Ohio would save only $2 billion, leaving the state without vital services and there would still be an $6 billion deficit; since this does not address the budget deficit, it is clear that anti-worker forces are using this to harm the middle class and kill jobs.

Other talking points:

• Public employees provide a wide range of necessary services. They drive children to and from school safely. They patrol our streets, put out fires, provide transportation for disabled and elderly, safeguard our prisons, plow our streets, fix our busted waterlines in freezing weather.
• Our teachers, police, firefighters and other public employees are also our neighbors, friends, family members, coaches, volunteers. They are part of the fabric of our communities.
• Our prison guards, bus drivers, water and sewer workers, educators, in-home caregivers are also consumers and customers in their communities. They spend their money locally on cars, appliances, furniture, food, gas, and other items. They keep local merchants open, hiring and thriving.

Wow! Rachel does the research on what's really going on in Wisconsin -- and Ohio. As she puts it "millions for Repubs" vs. "bakesales for Dems".