10 November, 2011US unions scored an important victory on October 8 when voters in the state of Ohio in a referendum overwhelmingly rejected a Republican Senate Bill to limit public sector workers' collective bargaining rights.
USA: Voters overwhelmingly rejected "Senate Bill 5" passed in the Republican-controlled state legislature of Ohio in March 2011. The bill would have limited bargaining rights of some 350,000 public workers to salaries, workplace conditions and hours, but was held from going into effect pending the results of a referendum.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the defeat of the Senate Bill "is a major victory for working families in Ohio and across the country."
After the Ohio legislature passed the law in late March, in spite of strong public opposition with demonstrations of thousands in the state capital Columbus, a massive mobilization to repeal the law started. In just a matter of weeks, volunteers from the We Are Ohio coalition collected more than 1.3 million signatures for a referendum on the Bill. When polls showed growing support for a repeal, in August Ohio Governor Kasich offered a compromise, but the deal was rejected.
As the election drew near, unions and community groups knocked on doors, made phone calls and distributed literature around the state. In the weekend before the referendum alone, volunteers knocked on more than 450,000 doors.
A similar bill was passed in the US state of Wisconsin.
"Today's win in Ohio has energized and excited Wisconsin workers to recall Wisconsin's Governor Walker and put a stop to his attack on working families," said Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin state AFL-CIO as reported by CNN.
"I don't know the last time a fire-fighter, a teacher, a cop or a steelworker caused the economy to collapse," said USW President Leo W. Gerard at a rally before the referendum in Warren, Ohio.
"No one is falling for them trying to pin the economic crisis on the backs of hard-working police officers, firefighters, nurses, librarians and others who serve the public," said UAW Region 2B Director Ken Lortz. "Voters see the Bill for exactly what it is - a blatant attempt at securing power and weakening unions."
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the defeat of the Senate Bill "is a major victory for working families in Ohio and across the country."
After the Ohio legislature passed the law in late March, in spite of strong public opposition with demonstrations of thousands in the state capital Columbus, a massive mobilization to repeal the law started. In just a matter of weeks, volunteers from the We Are Ohio coalition collected more than 1.3 million signatures for a referendum on the Bill. When polls showed growing support for a repeal, in August Ohio Governor Kasich offered a compromise, but the deal was rejected.
As the election drew near, unions and community groups knocked on doors, made phone calls and distributed literature around the state. In the weekend before the referendum alone, volunteers knocked on more than 450,000 doors.
A similar bill was passed in the US state of Wisconsin.
"Today's win in Ohio has energized and excited Wisconsin workers to recall Wisconsin's Governor Walker and put a stop to his attack on working families," said Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin state AFL-CIO as reported by CNN.
"I don't know the last time a fire-fighter, a teacher, a cop or a steelworker caused the economy to collapse," said USW President Leo W. Gerard at a rally before the referendum in Warren, Ohio.
"No one is falling for them trying to pin the economic crisis on the backs of hard-working police officers, firefighters, nurses, librarians and others who serve the public," said UAW Region 2B Director Ken Lortz. "Voters see the Bill for exactly what it is - a blatant attempt at securing power and weakening unions."