Ohio GOP replaces committee member to pass bill.

[SirNitram]

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A Senate Committee voted 7-5 this morning to send Senate Bill 5, the collective bargaining bill, to the full Senate for a likely vote this afternoon.

Sen. Jim Hughes, R-Columbus, joined the four Democrats on the committee in voting against the bill. Prior to the hearing, Senate President Tom Niehaus yanked Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, a public critic of the bill, off of the committee, replacing him with Sen. Cliff Hite, R-Findlay, who voted for it.

Seitz, R-Cincinnati, has been an outspoken opponent not only of the content of the bill, which he says gives too much leverage to government employers, but of the process, which he said created an unnecessarily confrontational atmosphere.

Hughes, a generally pro-union Republican who up to this point had declined to state a public position on the bill, said he had problems with taking away binding arbitration from police and firefighters and replacing it with an inadequate settlement resolution process.

"I was very concerned about some provisions in this bill with regards to police, fire and our teachers," Hughes said after the hearing. "I have some concerns with that because as I read it, and I'm an attorney, the legislative body that would be deciding (the final contract) s the same management that is in negotiations with labor."

Bill sponsor Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, was peppered with questions from Democrats on the committee. Questions focused largely on what could still be bargained for, and why the bill was doing away with binding arbitration for safety forces a process in which an impartial third party is brought in to resolve an impasse.

Data for the past several years shows that binding arbitration rulings split fairly evenly between employers and unions.

"It seems to have worked in the past, and it was something put into the original bargaining law to avoid strikes," said Sen. Edna Brown, D-Toledo.

But Jones said binding arbitration has "created a lopsided bargaining position that is not in the best interest of the general public."

The bill would prohibit any public workers to strike and designs a new contract resolution process that would bring in a fact-finder, who would present a public report. If rejected, the school board, city council or other legislative body would then either accept its own last best offer, or that of the union.

Jay McDonald, president of the FOP of Ohio, said the bill under the most recent changes is worse than the original. He is particularly upset about the dispute resolution aspect of the bill.

"This local resolution ensures that no employer has any reason to bargain in good faith...because they get to dictate the terms at the end," McDonald said.

Sen. Kevin Bacon, a Minerva Park Republican and committee chairman, said he is willing to continue looking at ways to improve the bill, but like other supporters, he stressed the need to give governments more flexibility to deal with looming budget cuts.

"The conversations I've had with many individuals on what post-Senate Bill 5 will look like, a lot of it comes down to do you trust your council, your school board, your township trustees, your local elected officials who will appear on the ballot again," Bacon said.

"I just do not believe that local government entities are going to go out and do all the bad things I keep seeing in all the fliers that are being mailed out about cutting pay in half and things like that. I trust those local officials that they are going to do the right thing, but they need to be able to do it on an even playing field."

The full Senate is scheduled to meet at 1:30 p.m. Unions remain stanchly opposed to the bill, calling it an attack on the middle class that takes away too much of their bargaining leverage.

The bill would limit what unions could bargain for, taking issues off the table including health insurance and so-called "management rights," which would include staffing levels or building assignments. It also would require workers to get raises based on a merit pay system, rather than for longevity.

The Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio has criticized Hite and Bacon, among other Republicans, because they reportedly told them on candidate questionnaires that they support collective bargaining.

Today's proceedings are being spiced by Tea Party demonstrators outside the Statehouse who back the bill.

"We are supporting this legislation because we must bring pay and benefits of government employees in line with those of private sector employees. This is a first step in balancing the budgets for our cities, counties and state," said Chris Littleton of the Ohio Liberty Council in a release.

The council was calling for Senate Bill 5 to include three planks it currently doesn't have:

Government employees should have the freedom to choose whether they belong to a union or not.

Government unions should not be able to use an employee's dues for political purposes without the consent of the employee.

Government employee benefits should be realigned with those of the private sector by ending the conversion of years of banked sick days into large cash payouts.

More 'Cripple unions, budget saved!' stuff. But the relevent part is: They couldn't pass it as the committee was. They just decide to yoink him off the committee and replace him with a more obedient minion. That is quite distasteful, if not outright illegal.

[Enigma]

The senate barely passed it 17-16 with 6 Republicans siding with the Democrats.

[KlavoHunter]

Oh yeah, the bill that'd make it illegal to go on strike, in addition to all the other bad shit in it?

Call their bluff! General Strike!

I'd like to see them TRY and put everyone who works for a living in Ohio in jail!

[Alan Bolte]

Yay Jim! Don't really know much about him in general, and I think this is the first I've seen his name in the paper. He and his neighbor compete every year to see who can have the most ridiculous Halloween and Christmas displays (I live in the same neighborhood). I wonder if he, too, will be replaced when convenient.

[wautd]

More 'Cripple unions, budget saved!' stuff.

Can't they ask some money back they dumped in the banks or is that a purely federal occasion? But I guess that money has been spent on private jets, obscenely large bonusses and yachts anyway so nevermind.

A nice victory if you want modern slavery come back though. But I guess people like the Koch Brothers aren't nearly as rich enough as they'd want to be (perhaps they're saving money for a hollowed out volcano base or something).

[SirNitram]

More 'Cripple unions, budget saved!' stuff.

Can't they ask some money back they dumped in the banks or is that a purely federal occasion? But I guess that money has been spent on private jets, obscenely large bonusses and yachts anyway so nevermind.

A nice victory if you want modern slavery come back though. But I guess people like the Koch Brothers aren't nearly as rich enough as they'd want to be (perhaps they're saving money for a hollowed out volcano base or something).

Take money from the RICH? That's stupid fringy liberal nonsense, only 81% of Americans support that!

[TimothyC]

That is quite distasteful, if not outright illegal.

Martin, It's Ohio. The State that had a sitting governor convinced of a crime (massive ethics violations) while in office and got to stay in office.

Nothing surprises those of us that live here anymore.

[Stravo]

Take money from the RICH? That's stupid fringy liberal nonsense, only 81% of Americans support that!

All well and good but aside from what's happening in Wisconsin are we seeing mass protests against the very methodical dismantling of organized labor across the country? I don't see people up in arms as to why they keep cutting deeply into programs that effect the poor, the elderly, working class people. Hell you have Republican zombie working class folks taking up the anti-union language and talking points. No one is stopping to say - why are we cutting so deeply when we can just raise the tax rate a few percentage points on the highest income earners? The sadly ironic part here is as much as Republicans screech that it is class warfare polling among the rich shows a very broad base of support to have taxes raised on themselves to help the country as a whole.

My biggest gripe here is not the Republicans for doing this - it's in their nature much like the parable of the scorpion and the frog. No, it's the people for sitting there and letting it happen. If people really want to soak the rich then for fuck's sake get off your feet and say so. It's shameful to see the populace here take it up the ass over and over again while people with no money, no food and no hope take to the streets against dictators across the Middle East and win back their countries. We're happy to be fat little sheep. Sad.