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House panel OKs SB 5
AP
Photo
Walter Hudson, of Toledo, protests against Senate Bill 5 at the Ohio statehouse Tuesday, March 29, 2011, in Columbus, Ohio. The bill would strip public employees of collective bargaining rights.
SEE ALSO:
The removal of a contempt penalty for public employees who strike — a move Republicans
said would prevent jail time for offenders but Democrats said would do nothing to prevent incarceration.
The addition of safety equipment for police, firefighters and all other public employees
among terms that can be included in collective-
bargaining agreements.
Prohibitions against public employees who do not want to be members of unions to be forced to pay fair share payments to cover collective- bargaining administration costs.
The extension of time lines for collective-
bargaining negotiations.
A requirement that the director of the Department of Administrative Services adopt rules
setting public-employee pay.
A requirement that school boards conduct performance evaluations of teachers beginning with the 2013-14 school year.
Prohibitions on using the number of citations written by an officer in performance evaluations.
Limits on the use of accrued vacation time for certain employees.
Source: Legislative Service Commission
Groups to protest at chamber HQ today
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
With hundreds of protesters chanting in the hallway outside and Democratic lawmakers voicing their objections within, House lawmakers signed off on changes to controversial legislation limiting collective bargaining for public employees.
The move Tuesday by the Commerce and Labor Committee sets up a floor vote on Senate Bill 5 today. The Senate would have to sign off on changes made in the House before sending the legislation to Gov. John Kasich for his expected signature.
Public employees, students, labor groups and members of the Democratic Party will be protesting the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber today at 2:45 p.m. at the chamber’s headquarters, 11 Central Square. The protest is in response to the chamber’s endorsement of SB 5.
Fireline Inc. issued a press release Wednesday stating the Youngstown company’s intent to withdraw its chamber membership over the chamber’s endorsement of SB 5. United Steel Workers Local 5025 represents the workers at Fireline Inc.’s 300 Andrews Ave. production facility.
“We’re sorry to see [Fireline] drop their membership, but we respect their decision to do so,” said Tony Paglia, vice president of government affairs for the Regional Chamber. Paglia declined to comment on the protest.
Republican proponents continue to say that Senate Bill 5 is needed to enable local governments, school districts and the state to better control costs.
“The vast majority of the work force in this state stands up on their own two feet and go to work every day without a union,” said Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, a Republican from Napoleon. “And these public employees will still have more collective-bargaining rights than almost everybody in the private sector does.”
But Democrats and union opponents called the new version of the legislation more radical and unfair than the one passed by the Senate.
“Not only are they attacking middle class wages, rights and benefits, but now the bill will punish people for even joining a union,” said Eddie L. Parks, president of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association. “Those who join will be picking up the tab for those who don’t. The effect is the same: It’s a hit to the middle class and Ohio communities.”
State Rep. Bob Hagan of Youngstown, D-60th. complained about the minority party’s being excluded from deliberations on the bill.
“We have no idea what your amendments are. We have not worked with you throughout this process because you have not allowed us to work through this process,” Hagan said, hitting his desk angrily to emphasize each point. “And when the press has the opportunity to see exactly what will have an impact on 11 million Ohioans [before we do], it’s an insult not only to the members of this minority but to the people of the state of Ohio.”
More than 400 union members protested at Tuesday’s committee hearing, chanting “Kill the Bill” and other phrases in the hallway as lawmakers considered amendments. Hagan and other Democrats later joined the rally and vowed to fight to keep SB 5 from ever becoming law, via a referendum on the November ballot.
“We want you to know that we did our part — we fought like hell,” Hagan told the crowd of protesters. “And we want you to do your part. We’re taking this to the ballot.”
The House committee kept in place the major provisions of the bill.
The legislation still allows collective bargaining for all public employees but would limit negotiations to wages, hours, terms and conditions — excluding other areas, including health-care premium payments.
Both sides would be required to disclose more information about their contract demands. Pay rates and raises would be based on employee performance, not just seniority.
But House Republicans also changed other provisions, attempting to soften a ban on public employee strikes to prevent violators from being sent to prison and widening collective-bargaining terms to include safety equipment for police, firefighters and all other public employees.
Binding arbitration still would be replaced with a process that ultimately puts contract decisions before locally elected officials, but citizens would have the opportunity to seek a referendum on the resulting contracts in certain instances.
The substitute bill also included language that would prohibit “fair share” payments required of employees who do not want to be members of a union.
Republicans offered all of the amendments to SB 5 Tuesday, with Democrats offering none of their own, nor supporting the bill that eventually moved out of committee.
“I think it was a good bill when it came from the Senate. I think these changes have made it an even better bill, a stronger bill,” said Rep. Kristina Roegner, a Republican from the Akron area. “I think the taxpayers of Ohio should be very excited by this. We’re giving the local schools, the local municipalities the tools that many of them have been asking for to manager their own costs.”
Democrats disagreed. Before the start of Tuesday’s committee hearing, they delivered petitions signed by more than 65,000 Ohioans who oppose the legislation.