Despite
consistent pressure from workers in Ohio, the Republican-controlled
Ohio House and Senate passed the anti-worker Senate Bill 5 on March
30. The bill will eliminate collective bargaining for over 350,000
Ohio workers.
The
Ohio Senate passed the bill with a vote of 17-16, with the House
passing the bill by a margin of 53-44. Ohio Republicans applauded the
bill as a landmark piece of legislation that will end what they
called decades of “labor-controlled politics” in Ohio. Under the
bill, public-service workers will no longer be able to bargain for
better wages. They will be able to bargain issues regarding health
coverage and pensions, but only if the deliberation is initiated by
the employer.
Newly
elected Gov.
John Kasich, a former investment banker, spearheaded the passage of
the bill. Kasich represented the interests of banks and corporations
during his time working on Wall Street, and he continues to serve the
will of the rich. In 2009, Kasich was quoted as saying, “We
need to break the back of organized labor in the schools.”
The
anti-worker push in Ohio followed the introduction of similar
legislation in Wisconsin, Indiana and other states in an attempt to
weaken workers’ power. However, the working class of Ohio, like the
workers in Wisconsin, showed their power in massive demonstrations
against SB 5.
Tens
of thousands of workers, students and other activists had a
consistent presence at the Ohio Statehouse and at government offices
across the state for months to protest the bill. The demonstrations
dwarfed the miniscule Tea Party demonstrators that came out to
support the bill.
Members
of the Party for Socialism and Liberation have intervened in the
labor struggle since its start. During demonstrations at the
Statehouse, PSL members distributed special copies of Liberation
that demanded an end to the war on unions. Thousands of fliers
agitating for a general strike to fight back against SB 5 were
distributed to workers and other activists.
Workers
filled and surrounded the Statehouse as the final deliberations were
made regarding the bill. Minor revisions had been made in the weeks
before, and the legislation was rushed to a vote to prevent any
opposition. As Republican senators looked thousands of their
constituents in the eyes and passed a bill that would decimate
working families across the state, workers and students chanted
“Shame on you!” and “Vote them out!”
Liberation
interviewed Abbie Carver, a student at Capital University who was at
the protests as the bill passed. She said that many signs at the
protest “posted the wages of the senators, representatives and
governor. Firemen made up a large part of the protest, along with
teachers’ unions and middle-class individuals.”
Rev.
Michael Harrison, a member of Protect Ohio Families and an opponent
of SB 5 said, “SB 5 proves that reckless Ohio legislative
leaders care more about corporate special interests than Ohio
families.”
The
Democratic Party has attempted to take a leadership role in
organizing the movement against SB 5. However, when Democratic Gov.
Ted Strickland was in office, he oversaw a massive rise in
unemployment. The Democrats did not suggest taxing the rich as
workers in Ohio are currently demanding. In fact, Democrats in Ohio
have consistently supported budget cuts. Many Democratic leaders will
attempt to channel this energy toward the ballot box, but an
independent working-class struggle is needed to build a fightback
movement.
As
the labor struggle intensifies in Ohio and across the country,
workers have vowed that the battle will not end with the passage of
the bill. Activists across the country are realizing that an
alternative to “business as usual” is needed. It is the duty of
revolutionaries to mobilize with the working class and fight
anti-worker legislation wherever it surfaces.
