Ohio Gov.-elect John Kasich to overhaul state employees collective bargaining rules

Ohio Gov.-elect John Kasich to overhaul state employees collective bargaining rules

Ohio Governor-elect John Kasich intends to overhaul current state employees' collective bargaining rules (passed by Big Labor-financed state legislators and signed by a Big Labor-financed Governor) that he says allow unelected third parties to force the state of Ohio its counties and towns to raise taxes without any say by taxpayers.  Kasich also intends to dismantle federally imposed wage rules that drive up construction costs.  A better idea would be to give all workers in Ohio the right to choose to pay or not pay union dues or fees, rather than being forced to pay dues and fees as a condition of employment.  Ohio needs a Right to Work law to protect all employees. Reginald Fields of The Plain Dealer wrote: COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Public employees who go on strike over labor disputes should automatically lose their jobs, says Gov.-elect John Kasich. "If they want to strike they should be fired," Kasich said last week. "I really don't favor the right to strike by any public employee. They've got good jobs, they've got high pay, they get good benefits, a great retirement. What are they striking for?" Kasich has made it clear that dismantling Ohio's collective bargaining law will be a top priority of his administration. The 1983 collective bargaining law, which gives public employees a right to unionize, was implemented by a Democratic-controlled legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Richard F. Celeste. In particular, Kasich is going after binding arbitration rules … "You are forcing increased taxes on taxpayers with them having no say," Kasich said. The Middletown City Council recently tabled a resolution asking the Ohio General Assembly to revise the state's collective bargaining law. City Councilman Josh Laubach, who authored the resolution, said the city had to dip into reserves to pay police and fire costs this year and is expecting a $2.5 million increase in safety personnel in 2011 despite adding no new positions, according to the Middletown Journal. The 1983 collective bargaining law, which gives public employees a right to unionize, was implemented by a Democratic-controlled legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Richard F. Celeste.
Big Labor Malfeasance and Gov. Ted Strickland

Big Labor Malfeasance and Gov. Ted Strickland

The Columbus Dispatch puts the blame squarely on Gov. Ted Strickland for his cronies funneling no-bid contracts to his union boss buddies at the expense of a school for the blind, home-care worker freedoms, and more: Misfeasance As executive director of the Ohio School Facilities Commission, Richard Murray was supposed to act as a good steward of the millions of dollars Ohio pours into new school buildings every day. Instead, a report by the Ohio inspector general shows, he has abused his position to push the interests of unions, including the one to which he belongs, at substantial cost to the state and local school districts. His unprofessional behavior disqualifies him for this position. Murray’s union advocacy comes as no surprise; his career before Gov. Ted Strickland appointed him included more than 12 years as Ohio director of the Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust, a union advocacy group. He is a member of Local 423 of the Laborers' International Union of North America. Strickland’s decision in September 2009 to summarily oust well-regarded former Executive Director Michael Shoemaker, a fellow Democrat, and replace him with Murray shows that the governor, too, is far more interested in doing favors for one of his primary constituencies — labor — than in working for Ohioans’ best interests. In fact, Murray says he was instructed by the Strickland administration to treat construction unions as “constituents” and to improve relations with them.