With a recent Ohio poll showing a widening gap between supporters and opponents of Ohio Senate Bill 5, local politicians are taking sides on the controversial law.
A Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday shows 57 percent of Ohio voters support the repeal of SB 5; only 32 percent oppose it.
“Anyone who has been in politics knows you can never be sure about predicting results,” said Athens County Democratic Chairman Bill Bias. “So we’ll work like hell against (SB 5) until the last vote is counted.”
Almost 1.3 million people signed the referendum petition. If they all vote against Issue 2, Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-92nd, said, SB 5 will probably be repealed.
The law, which limits the collective bargaining rights of public workers, does not help the state’s budget, Phillips said.
“(SB 5) goes too far,” she said. “This bill leaves too much uncertainty for the future and safety of public workers.”
Because Ohio University employs many of Athens County’s public workers, the legislation could have a ripple effect on the private sector, magnifying its negative effects, Phillips said.
SB 5 was passed to allow local governments to cope with budget cuts, said Joshua Eck, legislative aide to Ohio Senator Troy Balderson, R-20th.
The cuts represent local governments’ response to the state’s $8 billion deficit.
Because up to 85 percent of many local governments’ budgets goes to salaries, employee payments were a significant target for cuts, Eck said.
The legislation requires public employees to pay at least 10 percent of their pension and 15 percent of their healthcare, costs some local governments currently pay, he said.
Jimmy Stewart, who held the 20th district seat before Balderson, voted for SB 5 before his retirement. Balderson also voted in favor of the law while he had a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives, Eck said.
“No one is saying public workers are being overpaid by any means,” he said. “But local governments just don’t have the money.”
Pete Couladis, Athens County Republican Party chairman, said requiring employees to pay for pensions and healthcare is fair.
“The deck has been stacked against taxpayers,” he said.
Officials opposing SB 5 say the legislation does not save the state any money or create jobs.
“(SB 5) does nothing good at all,” said Anthony Vernell, regional director for the Ohio Association of Public School Employees. “It’s just an attack on the everyday worker.”
Union workers pay their share of costs and have made concessions during budget cuts for years, said Vernell, who represents non-teaching education employees such as bus drivers and librarians.
SB 5 erases much of the progress public workers gained since the collective bargaining law was enacted in 1983, Bias said.
“It’s an overreach and an outrage by Republicans,” he said. “We need to work with public workers, not against them.”
Change is necessary with local and national governments going bankrupt, Eck said.
“Both sides of the aisle agree that change needs to happen, but not how,” he said. “We need to step out with courage and say the status quo just isn’t going to cut it anymore.”
rc348710@ohiou.edu
