SB 5 Referendum On for November

According to the Toledo Blade on Friday, the Ohio Senate Bill 5 referendum will be on the ballot in November. On Friday, the signature count is 714,137; that is three times more than required to get the referendum on the ballot, 231,149.

The organizers received a large number of signatures rapidly in Lucas and Wood counties. The article implies that the signature count isn't in for Cuyahoga and Franklin counties yet...yeah wrap your mind around that number without Cuyahoga County.

Republican State Senators expected the response and have planned accordingly. They have a politically action committee and a non-profit, Building a Better Ohio, but the campaign is expected to get underway around Labor Day (irony). The Republicans are claiming a strong grassroots movement...I don't think they know what grassroots means.

My favorite quote from Sen Shannon Jones (R., Springboro):

“We can either continue to do things the way we’ve been doing the way [them], or we can do things better so that we don’t return to more increased taxes or job losses and return to prosperity in this state,’’

Yep, continue doing them the current way or destroy unions, which and I don't know if you know this, the word union means destroyer of America also they eat babies. Look it up. Thank god these people are saving us from teachers, commie bastards.

Additionally, a brief summary Ohio SB 5 again:

• Prohibits public employees from striking
• Limits negotiations
• Prohibits local government from paying any portion of an employee's share of his pension benefits
• Requires employees pay at least 15% of their health care premiums
• Prohibits the automatic deduction of "fair share" fees from public workers who refuse to join a union.

Business that are Pro-Repeal Ohio Senate Bill 5

Proud Ohio Workers aims to ensure small businesses across Ohio can remain open. They draw connections between small businesses suffering and the attack on public workers rights. Essentially, cutting pay, benefits, etc of public employees will cut the profits of small businesses. They are asking businesses that support Ohio workers to place a sticker in their window.

So they organized, on their site you can look up businesses in your city that support Ohio workers. A few of my favorites: Mac-Back's books and Hot Sauce Williams. Both of these are as awesome as they sound. Mac-Back's on Coventry Road next to Tommy's (who is curiously missing from this list). They're pretty rad. Hot Sauce Williams is a colorful place (seriously blue and hot pink) on Carnegie Road. I went there once, but couldn't eat because I was vegan at the time, and I'm pretty sure everything had an animal product. Also, you needed a police escort to the bathroom, which makes me feel special. Regardless they rock pretty hard there.

A list of partners can be found here. Also below you can see a map of where all these businesses are. All that blue makes me proud.

Cleveland: Stand Up Fight Back

OH-Senate Bill 5 passed, but all hope is not lost. April 25 is the kick off of the repeal effort. By then the new language will be approved and the petitions will be ready to go. I know this sucks. I know the 25th is a work day, and if you're passionate about workers' rights then you probably have a job. A job you need, and a job which needs defending.

I'll be home for some time this summer, and I will be assisting in any way possible. So help. The goal is to get it on the ballot come November.

So to close: read up, get informed, and fight back. Ohio can't lose anymore.