CLEVELAND, February 28 — BLET National President Dennis Pierce is making a personal plea for BLET members to join him at a huge pro-labor rally tomorrow (March 1) in Columbus, Ohio, to protest the ongoing attacks against public sector unions and middle class Americans.
“I ask all BLET members living within driving distance of Columbus to join me at the Ohio Statehouse tomorrow,” President Pierce said. “These attacks on public sector unions are an attack on all union Brothers and Sisters. It has long been true that united we stand, divided we fall. This is the time for all union members to stand up against these attacks on public sector unions.”
Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa is also expected to be in attendance at the “Rally for Ohio’s Middle Class,” which is being organized by the Ohio Democratic Party.
Despite overwhelming public opposition, Ohio Senate Republicans are continuing their assault on the state’s middle class. On March 1, the State Senate is expected to hold a committee vote on Senate Bill 5.
President Pierce is asking BLET members to help him flood the Statehouse and tell Senate Republicans to vote no.
Here are the details for the rally:
Rally for Ohio’s Middle Class
Tuesday, March 1 at 10:00 a.m.
Ohio Statehouse – West Lawn
1 Capitol Square
Columbus, OH 43215
While the rally in Columbus is specifically targeting Senate Bill 5, it is one in a series of national rallies to protest the coordinated attacks against public sector unions in Wisconsin, Indiana, and other states.
Background
In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker created a false budget deficit and is using the pretext of a budgetary crisis to wipe out unions representing state and local government workers. In January, Walker forced through legislation that created $140 million in new spending for special-interest groups. Then he promptly announced a budget “deficit” of $137 million and demanded concessions from public sector unions to offset the cost of the deficit he created. The bill would strip public sector unions of the ability to negotiate salaries, pensions, work rules or health-care benefits. It also would allow for “free riders” who could freeload by not paying dues. Payroll dues deduction would be outlawed and unions would be required to be recertified by the workforce annually.
In Ohio, Governor John Kasich also cites a budget crisis as a reason to pass Senate Bill 5, which would basically destroy public sector unions. However, even the bill””””””””s sponsor, Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, has admitted that the bill is unlikely to have any significant effect on the deficit, and when she introduced it could not cite figures on savings.
And while Kasich insists SB 5 is not an attempt to destroy unions, his previous public statements show his true agenda. According to the Columbus Dispatch, Kasich gave a speech before Ashtabula County Republicans in March 2009, where he said he wanted to “break the back of organized labor in the schools.”
“The actions of these conservative, anti-union politicians in Ohio and Wisconsin are unacceptable,” President Pierce said. “We need to send a message that we are standing shoulder to shoulder with our Brothers and Sisters in the public sector.”