By Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers
“As Ohio goes, so goes the nation” has taken on new meaning after this week’s election. The people of Ohio used their citizen veto decisively to repeal legislation that would have stripped police officers, teachers, firefighters and other public workers of their right to bargain collectively.
It is the first time in the nation’s history that collective bargaining rights have been upheld on a statewide ballot. And it is a clear sign that Americans understand we can’t rebuild the economy without rebuilding the middle class.
The opposition to the legislation’s partisan overreach went well beyond public employees and union members. More people voted to repeal Senate Bill 5 in November 2011 than voted to elect John Kasich governor a year earlier. That message should not be lost on the legislators who voted to pass it.
Election results from Maine to Mississippi and from Ohio to Arizona demonstrated that voters were fed up with politicians who thought they could exploit a tough economy to advance extremist agendas. The public is crying out for leaders to help get the economy back on track for all Americans.
In Ohio, voters saw the public services that public workers provide as being essential to their communities—whether it was the cop on the beat or the teacher in the classroom. And, implicit in that is the acknowledgment that employees having a voice in their work is a way to ensure and improve the quality of vital public services.
More>>
