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One big battle, or death by 1,000 cuts?<br />
CHRISTOPHER MABE<br />
President<br />
It’s a new year and I’ve<br />
made a resolution. We<br />
need to hit the ground<br />
running whenever and wherever<br />
the next battle begins.<br />
We don’t know exactly<br />
where the next battle lines<br />
will be drawn, but we need<br />
to be prepared.<br />
In Indiana, a Right to Work<br />
bill that is striking a major<br />
blow to unions was rammed<br />
through by their General<br />
Assembly. In Wisconsin, our<br />
AFSCME brothers and sisters<br />
are engaged in a recall battle<br />
to oust their governor, Scott<br />
Walker. In Florida, a proposal<br />
has been introduced to privatize<br />
more prisons than any state<br />
in history.<br />
But what will be Ohio’s next<br />
big fight? Will it be a big battle,<br />
like SB 5, or will it be a death by<br />
a thousand cuts?<br />
Given our massive win on<br />
SB 5 and the political trouncing<br />
anti-union politicians took<br />
last year, our enemies might<br />
be content with a “death by<br />
a thousand cuts” approach.<br />
That’s not to say we don’t<br />
believe a Right to Work proposal<br />
or another massive<br />
privatization proposal won’t<br />
be introduced some time in the<br />
next couple years—because we<br />
do. But during a presidential<br />
election year, our opponents<br />
might think it best to stay under<br />
the radar and not cause the<br />
workers to rise up like last year.<br />
That’s my guess.<br />
So how do we prepare and<br />
lay the groundwork for the<br />
sort of enemy that slithers and<br />
crawls, rather than one that<br />
stands up and waves a banner?<br />
For one, we need to fight smart.<br />
But that doesn’t mean we don’t<br />
fight hard. When I was in the<br />
military, we had to change the<br />
game, depending on the enemy.<br />
If we learned anything from<br />
last year’s epic battle it is this:<br />
we do not have enough laborfriendly<br />
lawmakers in the state<br />
legislature. That’s how SB 5 got<br />
passed to begin with. Electing<br />
“But what will be Ohio’s<br />
next big fight? Will it be<br />
a big battle, like SB 5, or<br />
will it be a death by a<br />
thousand cuts?”<br />
~ <strong>OCSEA</strong> Pres.<br />
Christopher Mabe<br />
labor-friendly and public sectorfriendly<br />
legislators in 2012<br />
could prevent another disaster<br />
like SB 5. We will have more<br />
information about targeted state<br />
legislative races in the coming<br />
months. Suffice it to say, many<br />
of these fights will be at the<br />
ballot box.<br />
We need to fight proposals<br />
that privatize and eliminate<br />
middle class jobs and that<br />
replace them with low wage<br />
work with poor benefits.<br />
In 2012, ODOT has already<br />
declared a fiscal emergency<br />
and claims it might address a<br />
decrease in gas tax revenue<br />
by privatizing Ohio’s rest<br />
areas and the Turnpike. How<br />
do we combat that? Building<br />
community support when<br />
it comes to privatizing Ohio<br />
assets like the Turnpike is<br />
vital. Let your friends,<br />
neighbors and community<br />
groups know what<br />
is going on and what will<br />
happen if area roadways<br />
or rest areas are privatized.<br />
Most important of all<br />
this year is to vote your<br />
job. Don’t forget what we<br />
went through last year. We<br />
need to hold lawmakers<br />
accountable for the past and<br />
ensure that they have a clear<br />
vision for the future. When<br />
you step into the voting<br />
booth, whether it’s for your<br />
local school board, for a<br />
primary or for the General<br />
Election, make sure you are<br />
voting for people that support<br />
YOU!<br />
Did they stand with you or<br />
against you?<br />
Not sure how your state representative or senator<br />
voted on Senate Bill 5? Visit We Are Ohio’s Speak Out<br />
Tool at ocsea.org/speakout to see where your legislators<br />
stood on SB 5! And then thank them — or give<br />
them a piece of your mind and tell them it will impact<br />
your vote at the ballot box.<br />
Rep. Al Landis (R-Dist. 96) voted Yes on SB 5 but over<br />
65 percent of his voting constituency opposed Issue 2<br />
in November. What will this mean for the re-election<br />
of anti-collective bargaining legislators like Landis and<br />
others like him?<br />
Winter 2012 Public Employee Quarterly 3