Fight for Good Jobs, Strong Communities Draws 25,000 to Ohio Festival

Momentum Strong for Nov. 8 Vote to Repeal Anti-Collective Bargaining Law

CWA District 4 Vice President Seth Rosen with two New Jersey CWAers who traveled to Columbus for the daylong "Stand Up for Ohio" festival last weekend. Even babies got into the spirit of the event.

A daylong "Stand Up for Ohio" festival on Saturday drew thousands of families to the fairgrounds in Columbus for music, speeches and bonding over shared goals to restore workers' rights and rebuild the state's middle class.

"Winning the referendum in Ohio to repeal Senate Bill 5 is critically important, but the 25,000 people that attended the festival were sending a broader message," CWA District 4 Vice President Seth Rosen said. "We need to rebuild the American Dream. The attacks on workers' rights, civil rights, our communities and environment are all connected. In Ohio, union members, community groups and individual citizen activists, are building a broad movement to fight for good jobs and strong communities."

SB5, as the bill is widely known, is the public sector anti-collective bargaining law that Republican leaders rushed through the Legislature earlier this year, ignoring thousands of people lined up to testify against it. GOP leaders went so far as to remove opponents in their own party from committee assignments in order to ensure the bill got to the floor.

In a record-breaking petition drive, the We Are Ohio coalition rapidly collected 1.3 million signatures to let voters decide the fate of the law. With the Nov. 8 referendum looming and polls showing a strong majority of voters oppose the law, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and his GOP allies are backpedaling.

In a publicity stunt last week, they invited unions to come to the statehouse and talk to them about revising the bill — the only overture the GOP ever made to seek input from workers and their unions.

We Are Ohio, which includes union and non-union workers, community groups, churches, and even business owners and self-described Republicans, told Kasich it was too little too late.

"While we thank the governor, senate president and speaker of the house for reaching out and recognizing that the bill is flawed, we are asking for a fresh start," coalition spokeswoman Melissa Fazekas said. "That fresh start must begin with a full repeal of Senate Bill 5...Upon repeal, we look forward to coming together as Ohioans to make our state a better place to live, work and raise a family, just like our public employees — firefighters, nurses, teachers and police officers — do every day in their jobs."

As the campaign proceeds toward the election, CWA members throughout Ohio are making phone calls, leafleting worksites and taking part in other events to educate voters and ensure they go to the polls Nov. 8.