Some of the crazy statements going around about collective bargaining reform in Ohio:
They want to take away our healthcare and retirement.
This one is laughable. Perhaps union members might end up paying the same percentage of their health insurance and retirements as we in the private sector do. Oh the horror! But completely take away your health insurance, or retirement? Please.
The fact is, communities are being hurt by the laws that currently give power to the public unions. Poor teachers can’t be fired. Good teachers that are younger get laid off when there have to be cuts, because they don’t have seniority. School districts are forced to reduce the numbers of teachers, instead of giving everyone a small cut when they don’t have the revenues. Reducing teachers and not judging them by merit…THAT’S what hurts our children.
Foisting compensation packages on local governments that can’t afford them…THAT’S what hurts communities.
This is Republicans waging a class war against the middle class.
So the entire middle class is public-sector union members? And having them be back on an equal footing with their private-sector neighbors is “waging war”?
If I don’t like my raises or my benefits, I can accept what my employer offers me, or I can choose to seek work elsewhere in the market. Why is that fair for me (and it is fair), but not for government workers?
Of course, asking these kinds of common sense questions must mean that I hate police officers and firefighters, right?