Yesterday the Columbus Dispatch had a blurb they titled: "Senate Republicans say they will not eliminate collective bargaining." Today at least one dem is calling the proposed changes "window dressing":
Senate Minority Leader Capri Cafaro, D-Hubbard, said the changes "seem like window dressing."
We all know by now that Senate Bill 5, proposed in Ohio by Shannon Jones and backed by Governor Lehman Brothers Kasich, is designed to bust unions. It's inspired thousands of tax-payers to rally on the capital in opposition. Today's Dispatch titled: "State workers to get back some say in proposed changes to senate bill 5" article along with yesterday's blurb implies that Republican law makers are starting to "cave" on their demands, but if you read the articles, you'll see that the proposed changes will effectively end the effectiveness of unions.
Republican Kevin Bacon (not footloose) thinks changes can be made to "fix collective bargaining without ending it". Apparently the changes they are proposing will allow unions to bargain for wages. Period. From the bill itself:
B) The following subjects are not appropriate subjects for collective bargaining:
(1) The conduct and grading of civil service examinations, the rating of candidates, the establishment of eligible lists from the examinations, and the original appointments from the eligible lists are not appropriate subjects for collective bargaining;
(2) Health care benefits, except that, subject to division (E) of this section, the amount of the premium for which a public employer and the public employees of the public employer pays is an appropriate subject of collective bargaining;
(3) The payment of a contribution by a public employer to the public employees retirement system, the Ohio police and fire pension fund, the state teachers retirement system, or the school employees retirement system on behalf of an employee, contributor, or teacher, as applicable, that the employee, contributor, or teacher otherwise is required to pay.
The bill would continue the practice of barring police forces and fire fighters from striking, but it would also eliminate their right to binding arbitration. According to Republican leader Tom Niehaus:
"We are working on an alternative that would allow them to take their concerns to a third party," Niehaus said. "It will not be binding arbitration."
(bold mine) The bill would also force worker's pay to be based
"solely upon merit"(link to bill), which has me asking everyone I can; how do police officers earn merit? More crime or less crime? What about fire fighters? Do they get paid for putting out more fires? or less fires?
What we're seeing here, I believe, is the negotiating tactics of the republicans. They have originally staked out an outrageous position that they knew they couldn't win on, and are now going to concede nothing substantial but still get the sympathy and support of the media. It is the job of the people and unions to call these farces what they are and continue to stand up for working America. So far this bill has been denounced by the FOP, ocsea, afscme, seiu, and many many more.
OCSEA's President Eddie Parks had this to say about the proposed changes:
"While we are encouraged that we are back in the bill for the purposes of bargaining wages, our rights are still severely limited, and there is no process that would bring management to the middle in any negotiations,"
My friend's theory on Kasich is that he doesn't really care about the state of Ohio. He doesn't care about getting re-elected governor so he's going to fight this ideological battle to the end. My friend believes Kasich is using his time in office to build conservative credibility to earn his way on the GOP ticket as VP. IMO that makes him dangerous and reckless. I've been inspired from what I've seen on the steps of the state capital. People of all walks of life have banded together to support Working America. I will leave you again with this poster and quote:
"All that serves labor serves the nation. All that harms is treason. If a man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool. There is no America without labor, and to fleece the one is to rob the other" --Abraham Lincoln