Rally Opposing SB 5 on Bedford Commons a Success

On Sunday, March 20th, more than 150 people gathered on Bedford Commons to oppose Senate Bill 5, a measure in the Ohio Legislature that would strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights. Headlining the event was State Senator Nina Turner (D-25th District) who rallied the troops and reminded those in attendance that this bill is nothing but the Republican’s first step in a full assault on the middle class. “This is an attack on our rights as a people,” said Senator Turner. The rally was attended by public school teachers, firefighters, police officers, and members of Organized Labor from the private sector as a show of solidarity. “This Governor of ours has admitted he is trying to ‘break the backs of the unions who run public schools,’ and he is going after the Trades next.  We have to stand united,” said Democratic Leader Andrew Mizsak. Also addressing the crowd was Bedford Vice Mayor and courageous Democrat Stan Koci, who shared the story that Bedford was one of the first communities to engage in collective bargaining with their employees in the 1980’s when he was a leader in the Firefighters’ Union.  The Vice Mayor also said that this bill is more than about collective bargaining...its about maintaining the quality of life for middle class families. “I am worried that with what [Governor] Kasich is doing to unions, my son-in-law, who is a union bricklayer, is going to move his family out of state.  My wife and I thought when he and my daughter moved to Streetsboro that 20 minutes was far away.  I couldn’t imagine them being out of state. This bill affects families.” Bill Lavezzi, our Central Committee Member in Bedford 6-B, and Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Education Association, spoke to the fundamental fairness of collective bargaining. “I lost my job in a school district because I was a Union Leader… that was in the pre-collective bargaining days, when school districts could do that.  Collective bargaining rights allow unions to be something more than just a bowling league.” The crowd also heard from JoAnn Johntony, the President of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, who put anyone who supports SB 5 on notice. “I will work day and night to let people know who is hurting working Ohioans and their families,” said Johntony. The event received a great deal of coverage in the local media, and dominated much of that day’s television and radio news.  Members of over 15 unions ranging from several education associations to the Teamsters, UAW, and the Building Trades were represented.Because of the March 20th event’s success, a second rally for sometime in the late summer/early fall is being planned.  Details for the future event are forthcoming.