Alissa Widman and James Bero
Chants of “working class is under attack” echoed throughout the Union oval Thursday afternoon as more than 300 people gathered to protest the passing of Senate Bill 5.
The bill passed in the Ohio Senate 17-16 Wednesday and is scheduled to be voted on in the Ohio House within the next few weeks.
If passed by the House, the bill would eliminate collective bargaining rights for all public sector employees. This includes banning strikes by public workers and punishing those who strike. The bill would also ban binding arbitration — when an impartial third party helps resolve contract disputes.
Graduate students Scott Sundvall and Martin Otto Zimmann organized the protest overnight.
Holding a sign reading “United we bargain, divided we beg,” Zimmann took turns with Sundvall speaking at a podium with other union supporters.
“We realized that if we didn’t start to organize students on this college campus, nobody would,” Zimmann said. “This isn’t about stuff that is happening off campus. This is directly affecting their lives today.”
The organizers said they were pleased with the turnout, whether attendees were for or against the bill.
“Facebook is amazing,” Sundvall said, who used the social networking site to spread the word about the protest online. “We’re here to protest and stand in solidarity with BG faculty and all public sector employees in Ohio.”
David Jackson, president of the recently unionized Faculty Association at the University, said the bill hurts all unions in Ohio and especially damages the faculty union at the University.
If the bill is signed into law, Jackson said the FA will be working with other unions to put a referendum on the ballot to overturn the bill.
“[The bill] considers the faculty management level employees, which does not give them the right to collectively bargain,” he said. “It makes us upset, but also very energized. We’re not done fighting.”
On the other side of the debate, some believe Senate Bill 5 will have a positive effect on Ohio.
Press Secretary for Gov. Kasich, Rob Nichols, said Ohio is the seventh highest tax state in the nation and that Senate Bill 5 will give mayors and school districts the ability to control labor costs.
“We have to reduce the cost of government in the state,” Nichols said.
Graduate student Katie Fredlund had more than costs and taxes on her mind. She said the protest wasn’t about being pro-union or anti-union but about supporting peoples’ rights.
“I support public workers and I support the right to collectively bargain,” she said.
Others who attended the protest had no direct ties to the University but still expressed their concerns, such as Meg Cypher, a concerned community member from Toledo.
“Communities work better when the workers have respect and bargaining rights,” she said.
