Labor & Employment Law

Ohioans Protest Kasich?s State of State Address

By James Parks

Thousands of laborers, teachers, firefighters and police officers rallied and protested outside and inside the state capitol today as Ohio Gov. John Kasich delivered his State of the State address.

This is the fourth week of protests against Kasich?s plan to take away public employees? right to bargain for a better life. The legislation known as Senate Bill 5, cleared the satte Senate and will be taken up by a House committee later today.

This morning before the speech, hundreds of members of the Fire Fighters (IAFF) marched to the Statehouse, led by bagpipers and holding signs opposing SB 5. On the statehouse steps, IAFF President Harold Schaitberger led the crowd in a chant ?Kill The Bill? (See video above).

“It’s a dark time in Ohio,” Mike Castle, a Columbus firefighter told the Columbus Dispatch.

I voted for the man (Kasich), and it brings tears to my eyes to say that.

During a rally yesterday Bill Melvin, a union maintenance worker for the state, told the Associated Press Kasich is wrong to blame state workers for Ohio?s fiscal problems He said his pay was cut by more than half when he moved from the private to the public sector four months ago. He said he took an $18-an-hour pay cut when he switched jobs because of a decline in construction in the area.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on March 08, 2011 (boomark / email).