Issue 2 defeated in Landslide: 61% to 39%

Senate Bill 5 is Stopped with a Citizens' Veto

The people have spoken.  By a wide 61-39 margin, Issue 2 has been defeated, and Senate Bill 5 is repealed. After a political struggle that started with teachers, police, fire and other public servants being shut out of Senate hearings, then protesting on the steps of the capitol building, next gathering a million three hundred thousand petition signatures, and a long fall campaign, the anti-teacher / anti-middle class law is repealed.

During the legislative process in the winter and spring, similar measures were presented in Wisconsin and elsewhere. On this national stage, teachers were vilified by right-wing political pundits who insulted us, trivialized the value of our work, and incredibly even blamed the recession on our profession.   The absurdity of their claims was best summarized by the comedy of the Daily Show.  Then there were the remarks by our governor who said he would only talk to unions whose members  "make things." [dispatch.com]

To those pundits and to our governor: We believe teachers build the foundation of a democratic society. We are essential to Ohio's future, and every day we do good work with our kids. What do teachers make?  We make a difference. [ted.com]

Thank you to all of our teachers, volunteers, and friends for your efforts on the campaign, and to the people of Ohio for standing up for working families. See this special issue of Random Notes for a run down of the the "bullies" and a thank you to our republican allies who saw the flaws of SB 5.

Of course, election night aside, some of the same republicans who created SB 5 are already talking about slipping pieces of it into other legislation.  The in-your-face contempt for teachers is likely to continue. So that's the reality for 2012. 

In a speech before Ashtabula County Republicans in March 2009, Governor Kasich said he wanted to "break the back of organized labor in the schools." 

Handouts from membership meeting on SB 5

March 28 Random Notes with details about SB5

(SB 5).

 Claimed to be a budget bill, S.B. 5 is so intrusive that it would have made it illegal for a school board to negotiate such things as a transfer policy with its teachers (Sec. 4117.081 B2)

VIDEO CLIPS

Representatives Hagan, Yuko and Szollosi speak to teachers, police, firefighters, and others about a referendum on SB 5.