Unless you’re employed by one of Ohio’s powerful government unions, voting Yes on Issue 2 should be an easy choice. Why, then, are Ohioans so divided over government union reform?
Today We Are Ohio – a front group funded primarily by D.C. unions – continues their campaign to mislead voters about Ohio’s status quo and the reforms in Senate Bill 5. Their pitch: government unions need expansive power to protect the public workers you pay from the public officials you elect. Rewarding government employees based on merit would be awful, and denying any of the union bosses’ demands amounts to a violation of their civil rights.
Unfortunately for We Are Ohio, illogical arguments aren’t improved by rampant hypocrisy. Exhibit A: the Ohio Education Association (OEA) is the largest government union in the state, and the largest in-state donor to We Are Ohio. Though OEA is in the “solidarity” business, the union has such an awful relationship with its own employees that it forced them into a strike just last autumn. Here are some photos from that strike, preserved on Flickr in case OEA tries to send ’em down the memory hole:
If you’re familiar with the last-in-first-out firing policies, automatic pay increases, and platinum benefits government unions have squeezed out of Ohio school districts and local governments over the past 25 years, you might be skeptical of We Are Ohio. Take a closer look, and it becomes even more obvious that union claims to the moral high ground are utter nonsense.
On November 8, support the sensible government union reforms in Senate Bill 5 – vote Yes on Issue 2!
Follow me on Twitter: @jasonahart
Cross-posted at that hero and Columbus Tea Party.
