COLUMBUS, Ohio: On Wednesday, March 30, Senate Bill 5 passed the Ohio House of Representatives by a margin of 53-44. The house-modified bill has now been referred back to the senate where it must be approved before being sent to the Governor’s desk.[1] Most notably, the house bill prevents unions from charging “fair share” dues to employees who opt out.[2]
On March 2, the Ohio State Senate first approved the highly controversial bill by a 17-16 margin. Despite the narrow margin in the State Senate, the bill was expected to pass the house.[3]
The bill will impact the state’s 400,000 public workers, restricting their ability to strike and collectively bargain. As it stands, the bill would only permit public employees to collectively bargain for wages, preventing them from collectively bargaining for health insurance and pensions. The bill would also prohibit all public employees from striking and could increase employee contributions for pensions and healthcare.[4][5]
Governor John Kasich (R) argues the bill is not an attempt to eliminate unions, but rather is aimed at restoring “balance to the system.”[6] Kasich expects the bill to save the state $8 billion dollars and help close the state’s budget gap.[1] Opponents, however, argue that the bill unfairly targets the middle class and plan to challenge the bill with a state referendum.[2]
WHEN WILL THIS AFFECT ALL THE TIME I HAVE ‘SAVED’ – I.E. VACATIONS NOT TAKEN, FROZEN SICK LEAVE, COMP TIME, ETC. I AM ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE (AGE-WISE) BUT HAVE ONLY BEEN WITH A LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR 19+ YEARS. I’D BE HAPPY TO RETIRE AT THIS MINUTE, AS LONG AS I WON’T LOSE WHAT I’VE ALREADY PUT ASIDE. THANK YOU.
Must be nice to be able to “save” time. Here in the real world, we get two weeks vacation and a few (if we’re lucky) sick days a year. Use ‘em or lose ‘em.
In the self-employed world, ‘what are vacations?’. If I want to see a raise in pay I have to work more. I would not trade self-employement for a ‘job’. I am not opposed to someone making money but if it is at my expense then I feel I have a say in the deal. HB 5 is a good start. If it wasn’t for the poor economy this would not have come up. Ohio has to balance the books.
I work in the private sector but work with the public work system in Ohio. It sad to see so many communities shaken down by the unions. People are hired and promoted based on their connections and time and not their qualifications. I see on a daily bases good employees with much better qualifications pass over because some worthless clock watcher gets promoted because the union says so. I see on a daily basis tax payer owned equipment destroyed because the person in charge was put in that position based on their union standings and not on their qualification. Unions are not necessarily bad, it usually it’s rank and file or even their leaders who survive off the back of those who pay dues to that union. I know plenty of good workers that hate the system they work under but are trying to make a living. House Bill 5 is not what the unions are making out to be, but that politics. Next should the the federal employees and clean that mess up and the landfall deals they have.