SB 5, Death of the Unions?

So.  The Ohio Senate passed the anti-union bill, by a single vote.  It's now going on to the House, where the action is expected to be quicker and less painfully in favor of the law.

Apparently the Senate lived up to it's expectations of being a brake on poorly-conceived notions, with GOP leadership needing to play games just to get the damn thing to the floor for a vote.  All Democrats and 10 Republicans were against the bill.

The fact leadership had to replace committee members who are known for being anti-labor in order to get a vote to happen should say something about this bill...namely, that it's just not a good idea, at least in large part.

Essentially, the bill eliminates the purpose of a union.  The union can be there...they just aren't allowed to bargain as a group.  It puts all the power into the hands of the government employers, and even makes it illegal for a union member to discuss issues pertaining to labor disputes.

Let me reiterate that: A union member, who lives in and works for Franklin County (as a clerk, or maintenance, or whatever), will not be allowed to speak to the county commissioner they voted for on an issue that involves the union employee.

Not sure that's Constitutional, which many lawmakers cited.  By working for the government in Ohio, you're expected to give up part of your right to representation.  Yep, those are good old-fashioned American values!

There's another element the State Troopers brought up...they've been trying to use their bargaining weight to get the state to upgrade bulletproof vests and fire suppression systems in their cruisers.  Under Senate Bill 5, the troopers' union can push for better gear...if the state wants to discuss it.

Defeats the whole point of protecting workers.

Now, in general unions don't make me happy.  I think many of them do bargain too hard, and refuse to look
at the facts of running a business (unions managed to destroy American automaking, if you'll remember).  I work for a company where the employees have a very good union...and their work habits and personal interactions reflect the fact in a very negative way.  And there's the bad taste still in my mouth from not getting a job when I was in high school, where a manager really wanted to bring me on, but the union was unwilling to work with my schedule (it would have meant bumping a senior guy out of his first choice shift for part of the month).

But I'd say that means the system needs to be reformed and tightened.  Reform does not mean giving the other side of the equation all the power.  Think back to algebra...both sides gotta equal.

Senate Bill 5 does NOT balance the equation.  It's just a tool Kasich and other GOP leaders are using to limit the checks and balances on their power.  You average citizens will not like the results of this, many of which we will not be able to see until we're knee-deep in the muck (see the law of unintended consequences).

I borrow from The Godfather: "That's your small government!  That's your job growth!"

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Columbus Dispatch