Legislative Updates
What We’re Reading – Thursday, Oct. 27
This is a daily roundup of news that has an impact on the economy and other legislative issues here in the state of Ohio. On a few occasions, we’ll even link to national news that is pertinent to the Fight for a Fair Economy.
Articles we’re reading:
Where do we go from here? Lawmakers considering separate legislation if SB5 fails
By Marc Novac for the Youngstown Vindicator
Mitt Romney is ’110% behind’ Ohio law limiting union power
By Kim Geiger for the Los Angeles Times
Poll: Issue 2 sinking
By Darrel Rowland for the Columbus Dispatch
Income gap keeps widening in America
By Andrew Taylor for the Associated press
WASHINGTON — The richest 1 percent of Americans have been getting much richer in the past three decades while the middle class and poor have seen their after-tax household income crawl up in comparison, according to a government study. After-tax income for the top 1 percent of U.S. households almost tripled, up 275 percent, from 1979 to 2007, the Congressional Budget Office found. For people in the middle of the economic scale, after-tax income grew by only 40 percent. Those at the bottom experienced an 18 percent increase. Click here to continue reading.
Claims for unemployment aid dip but remain high
By the Associated Press staff for the Plain Dealer
WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits dipped slightly last week, though not by enough to suggest that hiring is picking up. Weekly applicants for unemployment benefits declined 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 402,000 the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the 4th drop in six weeks. Click here to continue reading.
Occupy Cleveland can demonstrate on Public Square 24 hours a day
By Olivera Perkins for the Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Clevelenad has agreed to let Occupy Cleveland demonstrate 24 hours a day on Public Square, after the group took the matter to court on Wednesday. The two sides met with U.S. Judge Dan Aaron Polster, after lawyers for Occupy Cleveland sought an injunction to stop the city from interfering with protests after 10 p.m., the curfew in city parks. Click here to continue reading.
City beating ’11 budget projections
By Jeremy P. Kelley for the Dayton Daily News
DAYTON — Despite the onset of state cuts, the city continues to outperform its budget for 2011, tracking $8 million ahead of estimates through September. The largest revenue gain has come from income tax collections. Almost two-thirds of Dayton’s $153 million general budget fund comes from income tax, and the city was $2.1 million ahead of protections through September. Click here to continue reading.
What We’re Reading – Monday Oct. 24
This is a daily roundup of news that has an impact on the economy and other legislative issues here in the state of Ohio. On a few occasions, we’ll even link to national news that is pertinent to the Fight for a Fair Economy.
Articles we’re reading:
No On Issue 2
Editorial by the Akron Beacon Journal
Vote ‘no’ on Issue 2 to repeal Senate Bill 5
By Harriet Applegate
Police Officer says vote ‘no’ on Issue 2
By Marion Police Chief Thomas Bell
Early voting higher than normal
By Catherine Candisky for the Columbus Dispatch
Early voting has already far exceeded the last two off-year elections, fueled by a fierce fight over whether to keep or repeal Senate Bill 5, a measure to limit collective-bargaining rights for police, teachers and other public-sector workers in Ohio. Click here to continue reading.
Senate Bill 5/Issue 2: How did we get here?
By Marc Kovac for the Youngstown Vindicator
Joe Rugola stood before an audience of hundreds of union members, holding up an article about then-candidate John Kasich. The headline, as read by Rugola, president of the Ohio AFL-CIO at the time: “Kasich to Public Employees: We Don’t Want You.” That was in mid-September 2010, a month and a half before Kasich and his fellow Republicans swept Ohio’s statewide offices and the state Legislature.. Click here to continue reading.
Ohio split on values of collective bargaining
By Marc Kovac for the Youngstown Vindicator
Ask Gene Branstool to describe what Ohio was like before public employees had collective bargaining, and he’ll tell you about a popular, though outspoken, home economics teacher in his rural hometown who nearly lost her job. This was back when Branstool, a farmer and Democrat in an area dominated by Republicans, was a member of the local school board, before the 15 years he spent in the Ohio Legislature. During a routine business meeting, Branstool and his fellow board members accepted the resignation of the aforementioned teacher after being told that she had agreed to the decision. Click here to continue reading.
U.S. Companies Plan Little Hiring, Little Firing Over Next 6 Months: Poll
An article published by Reuters cross posted on the Huffington Post
U.S. companies do not plan to significantly increase payrolls over the next six months but neither do they intend to aggressively fire workers, according to a survey on Monday that suggested lackluster job growth. The National Association of Business Economics’ industry survey found that 59 percent of the 68 respondents saw no change in their employment levels, up from 49 percent in July. That was the highest percentage since January last year. Click here to continue reading.
What We’re Reading – Friday Oct. 21
This is a daily roundup of news that has an impact on the economy and other legislative issues here in the state of Ohio. On a few occasions, we’ll even link to national news that is pertinent to the Fight for a Fair Economy.
Articles we’re reading:
Central Ohio homes sales rose in September
By Jim Weiker for the Columbus Dispatch
Central Ohio home sales continue to climb compared to last year’s dismal performance. In September 1,719 homes changed hands in the Columbus area, up nearly 17 percent from the same month last year. September’s sales were down 12 percent from August, the last month of the summer sales season. Click here to continue reading.
Senate unveils next piece of Obama jobs bill
By Associated Press business staff
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s allies in the Senate on Friday unveiled the next piece of his failed $447 billion jobs measure to get a vote in the Senate: a $60 billion investment in infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges. Like its two predecessors, however, the infrastructure package figures to be unanimously opposed by Republicans and a handful of Democrats over its stimulus-style spending and tax surcharge on the very wealthy. A test vote on the measure will come after the Senate returns from vacation next month. Click here to continue reading.
Ohio jobless rate unchanged
By Randy Tucker for the Dayton Daily News
Ohio’s September unemployment rate remained unchanged from August at 9.1 percent, according to figures released this morning by the state jobs department. The Ohio rate was on par with the national rate last month and down from the state’s 9.8 percent rate a year earlier. Total employment on Ohio’s nonfarm payrolls fell by 21,600 jobs from August to September, but the number of unemployed workers also declined by 2,000 to 534,000 over the same period, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported. Click here to continue reading.
Banks lending more as economy improves
By Tim Tresslar for the Dayton Daily News
Banks and other lending institutions are starting to make more commercial and consumer loans as the economy slowly gains strength. Four of Dayton’s largest banks – Fifth Third, PNC, KeyBank and Huntington National – reported higher third-quarter profits this week, but also said they loaned more money in the quarter. Loans where borrowers were behind on payments also dropped off in the July-September period. Click here to continue reading.
James O’Keefe’s Newest Target Appears To Be A Small, Progressive Economic Think Tank
By Sam Stein for Huffington Post
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Among members of Washington D.C.’s think tank community, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) is known as a den for unbending liberals. The group works to stake our a progressive pole in the national debate. But in the age of President Obama, its influence has been limited. Despite having had an alum in the administration — Vice President Biden’s former chief economist Jared Bernstein — it has found itself, more often than note, disillusioned with the president’s embrace of austerity measures and his willingness to support moderate policies. Click here to continue reading.
Occupy My Street: A New Face of Unemployed in America
By Sarah O’Leary for the Huffington Post
After reading yet another piece written by someone who is gainfully employed about the unemployed crisis, I ingested a rather large piece of humble pie and decided to address the issue in first person. Like many of my unemployed 40- and 50- something marketing colleagues, I’ve been on a job hunt for the better part of a year. During that time, I’ve had consulting projects here and there that temporarily paid the bills. I have never filed for unemployment, deciding to dig into my bank account rather than get my own personal government bailout. Click here to continue reading.
White House defends its record on poverty
By Karissah Thompson for the Washington Post
Top officials in the Obama administration are defending the president from criticism that he has not done enough to help the poor. In a wide-ranging conversation hosted Thursday by TheRoot.com, Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor to the president, and Melody Barnes, the president’s domestic policy adviser, said the administration’s policies have helped to keep millions of Americans from slinging into poverty. Click here to continue reading.
What We’re Reading – Thursday, Oct. 20
This is a daily roundup of news that has an impact on the economy and other legislative issues here in the state of Ohio. On a few occasions, we’ll even link to national news that is pertinent to the Fight for a Fair Economy.
Articles we’re reading:
Ohio Union fight could boost Dems’ 2012 chances
By Ann Sanner for the Associated Press
COLUMBUS, OH — A ballot battle over whether to keep Ohio’s tough new restrictions on public employee unions could give labor supporters and Democrats a lift going into the presidential election year. But some Democrats fear losing the Nov. 8 referendum could be another dispiriting setback that saps enthusiasm from the party’s progressive base. Click here to continue reading.
New Poll Shows Senate Bill 5 Opponents Have the Edge
By Molly Bloom for NPR
A poll released today from Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm, shows that foes of Senate Bill 5 continue to have a big lead in the fight over Ohio’s collective bargaining law. PPP writes that Gov. John Kasich has a 37 percent approval rate. Click here to continue reading.
4 lawmakers want ethics review of Ohio jobs chief
By the Associated Press
COLUMBUS, OH — Four Democratic state lawmakers want an ethics review of Ohio’s economic development chief, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist. The challenge to Mark Kvamme was referred Wednesday to the Ohio Ethics Commission by Reps. Teresa Fedor and Michael Ashford of Toledo, Mike Foley of Cleveland and Robert Hagan of Youngstown. They say some of Kvamme’s private business dealings pose a conflict of interest with his state government work. Click here to continue reading.
New Ohio law for exotic animals put on fast track after incident at unregulated Zanesville farm
By Rick Rouan for Business First
Many of the approximately 50 animals that were released from a Muskingum County exotic animal farm Tuesday evening apparently fell through regulatory loopholes that left their owner unchecked. Most of the animals, including lions, tigers, bears and primates, were not regulated by the state because they were non-native species. Click here to continue reading.
The median U.S wage in 2010 was just $S26,363, government reports
By Suzy Khimm for the Washington Post
The government has released the first official payroll data for 2010. As you might expect, the numbers aren’t too encouraging. The “raw” average wage–net compensation divided by total number of workers–was $39,959.30, according to the data from the Social Security Administration. But the median wage is far lower: 50 percent of workers earned less than or equal to $26,363.55 for 2010. Click here to continue reading.
Technology, Innovation and cracking the job-creation code
By Emi Kolawole for the Washington Post
Experts participating in a conference hosted by The Brookings Institute on Wednesday suggested, among other things, that Congress do more to keep up with the fast pace of innovation in technology. High tech employment represents 5.7 million jobs, and one out of every 10 dollars of the U.S payroll, according to an October TechAmerica study. Click here to continue reading.
11.1 Percent of Columbus Bridges “Structurally Deficient”
By Jessica Wehrman for the Columbus Dispatch
A report released this week finds that 11.1 percent of Columbus bridges are deficient – the sixth-highest ranking for cities with populations between 1 million and 2 million. The report, released by Transportation for America, found that 18.239 bridges in the United States are deficient – a number higher than the number of McDonald’s franchises in America. Columbus has 323 deficient bridges according to the report. Click here to continue reading.
Yup: Blue collar whites do support Occupy Wall Street
By Greg Sargent for the Washington Post
It’s become an article of faith among some conservative and event neutral commentators: If Obama and Dems embrace Occupy Wall Street, they risk driving away droves of blue collar white voters in swing states who are crucial to Obama’s reelection. The argument: These voters tend to be culturally alienated by the theatrics of such protests, just as they were in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and won’t think Occupy Wall Street’s brand of populism is in their own interest. Click here to continue reading.
What We’re Reading – Wednesday Oct. 19
This is a daily roundup of news that has an impact on the economy and other legislative issues here in the state of Ohio. On a few occasions, we’ll even link to national news that is pertinent to the Fight for a Fair Economy.
Articles we’re reading:
Ohio SB5 headed for Rejection
By Public Policy Polling
Labor is poised for a big victory in Ohio next month – PPP’s newest poll of the state finds that voters intend to reject Senate Bill 5 by a 56-36 margin. Although the margin is consistent with what we found in the state earlier this year, when we polled Ohio in August the support for repealing Senate Bill 5 had tightened to 50-39. These numbers suggest that momentum is back on the side of the groups trying to kill the bill. Click here to continue reading.
Local officials key to SB5 savings
By Jim Siegel and Joe Vardon for the Columbus Dispatch
Gov. John Kasich and GOP legislative leaders are trying to lead thousands of local-government officials to water. But they can’t make them drink – or, more aptly, can’t make them bring the hammer down on unionized public workers in a fashion that saves the kind of money ($4 billion) that Issue 2 supporters say can be saved to reduce the cost of government. Virtually all of the union benefits that supporters of Senate Bill 5 and Issue 2 are trying to curtail were agreed to by elected school-board members, municipal councils, township trustees and county commissioners during nearly 30 years of collective bargaining. Click here to continue reading.
Early voting turnout is High
By Lynn Husley and Anthony Shoemaker for the Dayton Daily News
DAYTON, OH — The debate over early voting divided the Montgomery County Board of Elections on Tuesday, resulting in two tie votes that must be broken by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted. The controversy comes as boards of election in Montgomery, Greene, Warren and Miami counties all report high early voting turnout in an off-year election. Local boards of election leaders credit the rise in the convenience of early voting and interest in state Issue 2, the referendum on Senate Bill 5. Click here to continue reading.
Issue 2 opponents unveil study that shows public workers already making concessions
By Joe Guillen for the Plain Dealer
COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio’s public workers have reduced personnel costs by more than $1 billion since 2008 through wage freezes, pay cuts and other concessions, according to a study opponents of Issue 2 released on Tuesday. A coalition of labor leaders who commissioned the study said it is proof the current collective bargaining law is effective. Click here to continue reading.
Senate Bill 5 opponents detail union concessions
By Joe Vardon for the Columbus Dispatch
Of the $1,059,881,500 in givebacks through collective bargaining concessions since 2008 highlighted in the report, $700 million came from public education associations last school year. Another $350 million came from state employees through concessions in negotiations with then-Gov. Ted Strickland. The givebacks came in the forms of furlough days, wage freezes and cuts, forfeitures and postponements of overtime and sick day pay, and increased health insurance payments and pension contributions. Click here to continue reading.
Clergy weigh in on Issue 2
By David Yonke for the Toledo Blade
Two Catholic priests and a prominent theologian spoke out Tuesday against Issue 2, saying the ballot measure that would enact restrictions on collective bargaining for public employees goes against the church’s teachings that have long supported the rights of workers. Clergy from a number of different local religious groups Tuesday echoed the priests’ assertions that it is a moral imperative to provide fair wages and protect employee rights. Click here to continue reading.
How Liz Cheney is Funding the War on Labor Rights in Ohio
By John Nichols for the Nation
Dick Cheney was once a union man – after flunking our of Yale, the future vice president worked as an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers lineman in Wyoming – but now his daughter is leading the fight to destroy unions in America. The essential battle for organized labor in America this fall is in the state of Ohio, where voters will go to the polls in just three weeks to decide whether to overturn anti-labor legislation that Governor John Kasich and a Republican-controlled legislature forced on the state last spring. Click here to continue reading.
Stock Market Declines Weaken Spending, Economic Recovery
By Bonnie Kavoussi for the Huffington Post
In an economy already beset by deep troubles in housing and elevated joblessness, the stock market is now working as yet another source of anxiety that an anemic economic recovery could give way to another recession, in the view of many economists. The U.S stock market has fallen about 10 percent since its peak in late April, with many analysts attributing the losses to growing concerns about the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, the debt ceiling debate in Congress this past summer. Click here to continue reading.
President Obama and first lady to unveil private sector partnership to hire 25,00 war veterans
By David Nakamura for the Washington Post
HAMPTON, VA — President Obama will use an appearance at a military base here Wednesday to announce a partnership with the private sector to employ 25,000 veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars over the next two years, White House officials said. Obama has been touring the region by bus to promote his plans to create public sector jobs. But with his $447 billion American Jobs Act stalled in Congress, Obama also has called on the private sector to help reduce an unemployment rate of 11.7 percent among veterans, about the national average of 9.1 percent. Click here to continue reading.
Romney’s Housing Fix: Let Foreclosures ‘Hit Bottom’
By the Associated Press cross-posted by the Huffington Post
LAS VEGAS, NV — Mitt Romney came to the state with the highest foreclosure rate in the nation and said he wants to allow home foreclosures to “hit the bottom” to help the housing industry recover. In an interview published Tuesday ahead of the presidential debate, Romney told the Las Vegas Review Journal’s editorial board that solving the foreclosure crisis would require letting banks proceed against homeowners who have defaulted on their mortgages. New investors could then rent out the homes until the markets adjusted. Click here to continue reading.
What We’re Reading – Tuesday Oct. 18
This is a daily roundup of news that has an impact on the economy and other legislative issues here in the state of Ohio. On a few occasions, we’ll even link to national news that is pertinent to the Fight for a Fair Economy.
Articles we’re reading:
Huckabee to Anti-Union Crowd: Deflate Car Tires and Mislead Voters
By Andy Kroll for Mother Jones
Former GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has some advice for people who support the anti-uion law passed in Ohio that faces a statewide repeal to vote on November 8: Find out who’s voting to repeal the bill and block them from the ballot box. The onetime Arkansas governor suggested deflating tires and giving these voters the wrong election date. ”That’s up to you, how you creatively get the job done,” Huckabee quipped. Click here to continue reading.
Issue 2 would give management more say
By Jim Siegel and Joe Vardon for the Columbus Dispatch
The Republican group Building a Better Ohio has stuck largely to economic arguments in making the case for why Ohioans should vote “yes” on Issue 2 and preserve the anti-collective-bargaining law known as Senate Bill 5. But some say the extent of the law’s true impact will be felt not through mandatory health-insurance and pension contributions, but rather by tilting the balance of power definitively in the direction of management. The law rewrites the definition of management rights and makes it tougher for elected officials to bargain them away. It also no longer requires that any current provision of a contract becomes a mandatory subject of future collective bargaining — pushing the reset button on a host of workplace issues that were bargained in the past. Click here to continue reading.
Teacher group: Issue 2 could lead to larger school classes
By Tom Troy for the Toledo Blade
A group of teachers Monday called for defeat of Issue 2, saying it deprivers them of the ability to fight for smaller class sizes for students. The ability to bargain for maximum class sizes would be eliminated if Issue 2 passes. Issue 2, on the Nov. 8 ballot, is a referendum on Senate Bill 5, which would reduce public employee union bargaining rights. Click here to continue reading.
Teacher: Issue 2 not good for students
By David Skolnick for the Youngstown Vindicator
A Boardman High School teachers says the passage of state Issue 2 would adversely impact students. Dave Pavlansky, the president of the Boardman teachers union, said Monday at the headquarters of We Are Ohio, a statewide organization spearheading opposition to Issue 2, that the bill “silences” the voices of educators about classroom sizes and other issues that impact students. Click here to continue reading.
After S.B. 5 how will Ohio teachers afford farmers’ apples
An Op-Ed by Jack Burgess published in the Athens News
This week I’m off to the heart doctor to get a stress test. It’s a relatively painless way to find out how your circulation system is doing. Sometimes arteries get blocked by unwise eating, not enough exercise and stress. When that happens, blood can’t circulate, and it clogs at the top near the heart or brain and can shut down the whole system. Ohioans are under a lot of stress right now, with the continued rough economy. Teachers and other public employees are especially stressed by the attacks on them from the governor, chamber of commerce, and even the 200,000- member Farm Bureau, which apparently wants to reduce public workers to the sad state of many farm workers who are notoriously underpaid and have few benefits. Click here to continue reading.
Sen. Bill Seitz rallies unions to defeat Issue 2
By Fox 19
MIAMITOWN, OH — State Senator Bill Seitz delivered the keynote speech during Monday at a rally in Miamitown to energize police and firefighter unions against Issue 2. The measure would take away collective bargaining rights from Ohio’s employees unions. The Cincinnati Republican was removed from a senate committee before the panel voted on the measure. Seitz was reportedly replaced to ensure that the bill passed. Click here to continue reading.
Local foreclosures at lowest level in 5 years
By Tim Tresslar for the Dayton Daily News
Foreclosure activity in the Dayton area hit a five-year low in September, but real estate observers can’t say for sure if the housing crisis has turned the corner. The latest report by RealtyTrac Inc. showed that the number of properties in the four-county metropolitan statistical area involved in some phase of foreclosure fell to 368 last month – about a third of the 1,048 filings in September 2010. Click here to continue reading.
Bank Of American Earnings Report: Bank Sees $6.2 Billion Profit
By Jillian Berman for the Huffington Post
Bank of America earned billions of dollars in profits last quarter, even as banking officials expressed concern recently about the effects of new regulations on their bottom line. The bank reported third quarter gains of $6.2 billion, compared to a $3.7 billion loss during the same quarter of last year. The boost in profits came largely from an accounting gain and the pre-tax benefits from the sale of its stake in a Chinese bank. Click here to continue reading.
He Made It on Wall St. and Used It to Help Start the Protests
By David Goodman for the New York Times
Robert S. Halper, a retired Wall Street trader, spends time each day in Zuccotti Park talking to protesters about politics and their thoughts on reforming the banking system. But Mr. Halper, a 52-year-old Brooklyn native, never reveals two facts about himself: he is a former vice chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange and the largest single donor to the nonprofit magazine that ignited the Occupy Wall Street movement. Click here to continue reading.
What We’re Reading – Monday, Oct. 17
This is a daily roundup of news that has an impact on the economy and other legislative issues here in the state of Ohio. On a few occasions, we’ll even link to national news that is pertinent to the Fight for a Fair Economy.
Articles we’re reading:
Wedding Couple Embraces The History of Their Big Day
By WLWT Channel 5 in Cincinnati
CINCINNATI, OH — A bride and groom said they wanted to embrace the history of what was happening in Cincinnati the day they got married. They joined protesters of “Occupy Cincinnati” in Paitt Park on Saturday for a photo shoot before the ceremony. ”It’s just so important to make your voices heard, whatever it is you’re saying. I think it’s great,” said the bride-to-be Carolyn Hyatt said. Click here to continue reading.
Ohio Wages Fierce Fight on Collective Bargaining
By Steven Greenhouse for the New York Times
COLUMBUS, OH — “Hi, Teresa,” said Phil Hayes, a high school social studies teacher. ”I’m voting no on Senate Bill 5 because it can make my class size larger and can make it harder for me to be a teacher.” That was how Mr. Hayes plunged into yet another call as he and a dozen other union members at a labor phone bank made hundreds of calls to urge Ohioans to repeal one of Gov. John R. Kasich’s signal achievements: the enactment of Senate Bill 5, a law that weakens public employees’ bargaining rights. Click here to continue reading.
Virginia group funding pro-Issue 2 effort
By Laura A. Bischoff for the Dayton Daily News
COLUMBUS, OH — A right-leaning Virginia-based group is flooding Ohio mailboxes in support of Senate Bill 5, the contentious collective bargaining law that has divided Ohioans throughout the year and will be on the Nov. 8 ballot as Issue 2. The Alliance for America’s Future, which is based in Alexandria, VA., is mailing millions of fliers to Ohio households, spending “over seven figures” on the effort and micro-targeting their message based on voting records, neighborhoods and other demographic factors, said Barry Bennett, the group’s director and former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Cincinnati. Click here to continue reading.
Public, private compensation in same ballpark
By Alan Johnson for the Columbus Dispatch
The question of who is better compensated, public or private employees, has flared up repeatedly during the state Issue 2 campaign. One major study concluded that public workers receive slightly less than their private-sector counterparts; another found that public employees get 43 percent more. While it’s not possible to make exact comparisons, it appears in general that there is little difference in the overall compensation of public and private employees, according to recent federal statistics. Click here to continue reading.
From collective bargaining power to union dues: Everything you need to know about Senate Bill 5 and Issue 2
By Joe Guillen for the Plain Dealer
COLUMBUS, OH — The historic Senate Bill 5 referendum on Nov. 8 will give voters a chance to replace Ohio’s 28-year-old collective bargaining law with a new law loaded with changes that weaken public workers’ negotiating power and shift it toward their employers. Campaigns on each side of the referendum, which will appear as Issue 2 on the ballot, have dug in their heels, latched on to a handful of key talking points and bombarded voters with their messages through TV commercials and other outlets. Click here to continue reading.
Mayors Gary Starr and Cyril Kleem urge ‘no’ votes on Issue 2
By Stan Donaldson for the Plain Dealer
Two suburban mayors asked voters to repeal Senate Bill 5 Wednesday, saying that it would affect the quality of city services in their respective communities. Several other mayors in the region agree with them, they said. Middleburg Heights Mayor Cary Starr and Berea Mayor Cyril Kleem said the ability for workers to collective bargain and negotiate issues like healthcare, staffing and financial matters within a municipality is vital for city services that residents depend on. Click here to continue reading.
The Depression: If Only Things Were That Good
By David Leonhardt for the New York Times
Underneath the misery of the Great Depression, the United States economy was quietly making enormous strides during the 1930s. Television and nylon stockings were invented. Refrigerators and washing machines turned into mass-market products. Railroads became faster and roads smoother and wider. As the economic historian Alexander J. Field has said, the 1930s constituted “the most technologically progressive decade of the century.” Click here to continue reading.
America’s ‘Primal Scream’
By Nicholas Kristof
It’s fascinating that many Americans intuitively understood the outrage and frustration that drove Egyptians to protest at Tahrir Square, but don’t comprehend similar resentments that drive disgruntled fellow citizens to “occupy Wall Street.” There are differences, of course: the New York Police Department isn’t dispatching camels to run down protesters. Americans may feel disenfranchised, but we do live in a democracy, a flawed democracy – which is the best hope for Egypt’s evolution in the coming years. Yet my interviews with protesters in Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park seemed to rhyme with my interviews in Tahrir earlier this year. Click here to continue reading.
What We’re Reading – Friday, Oct. 14
This is a daily roundup of news that has an impact on the economy and other legislative issues here in the state of Ohio. On a few occasions, we’ll even link to national news that is pertinent to the Fight for a Fair Economy.
Articles we’re reading:
Ohio Grandmother becomes face of conflict over collective bargaining rights in Ohio
By The Associated Press and cross-posted from the Washington Post
COLUMBUS, OH — The plea of a 78-year-old grandmother urging a repeal of Ohio’s overhaul of collective bargaining rights is being distorted by an opposing group using her statements in an ad to defend the new law. Marlene Quinn’s great-granddaughter was saved from a house fire in November, and she told the story in a statewide television spot paid for by We Are Ohio, the union-backed coalition that’s fighting the law signed in March. Now, she’s suddenly at the center of a high-stakes battle over the future of public labor unions in the state. Click here to continue reading.
Issue 2 supporters now targeting President Obama
By Reginald Fields for the Cleveland Plain Dealer
COLUMBUS, OH — About the only politician polling as poorly as Gov. John Kasich in Ohio right now is President Barack Obama. So, maybe that is why supporters of Issue 2, the referendum on the state’s new collective bargaining law, have sent out mailers bashing the Democratic president in an effort to dial up support for the law that is unmistakably connected to the Republican Governor. Click here to continue reading.
Virginia group funding pro-Issue 2 effort
By Laura A. Bischoff for the Dayton Daily News
COLUMBUS, OH — A right-leaning Virginia-based group is flooding Ohio mailboxes in support of Senate Bill 5, the contentious collective bargaining law that has divided Ohioans throughout the year and will be on the Nov. 8 ballot as Issue 2. The Alliance for America’s Future, which is based in Alexandria, VA., is mailing millions of fliers to Ohio households, spending “over seven figures” on the effort and micro-targeting their message based on voting records, neighborhoods and other demographic factors, said Barry Bennett, the group’s director and former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Cincinnati. Click here to continue reading.
Stations pull ad backing Issue 2
By Jim Siegel for the Columbus Dispatch
More than two dozen television stations have reportedly pulled the latest pro-Issue 2 ad that features pirated video of a 78-year-old great-grandmother from Cincinnati who actually opposes the new collective-bargaining law. Five Columbus stations are among the 30 that have pulled the 30-second ad after legal questions were raised about it, according to We Are Ohio, the coalition of unions and Democrats that oppose Issue 2. Click here to continue reading.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Anti-Union Outfit Double Down on GrannyGate
By Andy Kroll for Mother Jones
A group defending Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich’s anti-union bill, known as SB 5, sparked controversy this week when it grabbed footage from an opponent’s ad supporting a repeal of legislation bill and then used the same footage in an ad fighting the repeal. At the center of the debate is Issue 2, a ballot referendum on Kasich’s bill to curb collective-bargaining rights for public-sector unions. Click here to continue reading.
Backers, opponents debate merits of Senate Bill 5
By Joe Vardon and Jim Siegel for the Columbus Dispatch
At one end of the table sat the presidents of statewide police and firefighter unions. At the other, a former Cincinnati city councilman. There to debate the pros and cons of state Issue 2, the police officer, firefighter and former local official engaged in impassioned discussion over a provision of Senate Bill 5 that applies only to the safety forces; the elimination of binding arbitration. Click here to continue reading.
More early-voting dates, times OK’d
By Quan Truong for the Columbus Dispatch
Early voters now have more hours and days to cast their ballots in Franklin County. In a meeting yesterday, the board of elections approved these dates and times. Click here to continue reading.
What We’re Reading – Thursday Oct. 13
This is a daily roundup of news that has an impact on the economy and other legislative issues here in the state of Ohio. On a few occasions, we’ll even link to national news that is pertinent to the Fight for a Fair Economy.
Articles we’re reading:
Stations pull ad backing Issue 2
By Jim Siegel for the Columbus Dispatch
More than two dozen television stations have reportedly pulled the latest pro-Issue 2 ad that features pirated video of a 78-year-old-great-grandmother from Cincinnati who actually opposes that collective-bargaining law. Five Columbus stations are among the 30 that have pulled the 30-second ad after legal questions were raised about it, according to We Are Ohio, the coalition of Unions and Democrats that opposes Issue 2. Click here to continue reading.
Job-openings dip shows shaky labor market
By Bob Willis for Bloomberg News, cross posted from the Columbus Dispatch
WASHINGTON — Job openings fell in August for the first time in four months, signaling that a sustained labor-market recovery will take time to unfold. The number of positions waiting to be filled dropped by 157,000 to 3.06 million, according to Labor Department figures issues yesterday. Click here to continue reading.
House Speak John Boehner says Obama promised the stimulus would keep unemployment below 8 percent: PolitiFact Ohio
By Thomas Feran for the Plain Dealer
After the U.S. Department of Labor released a report showing unemployment held steady at 9.1 percent in September, House Speaker John Boehner said it showed the need to find “common ground on common-sense solutions to create a better environment for private-sector job creation.” Since the House speaker has raised it anew, PolitiFact Ohio thought a reprise of our reviews was worthwhile. Click here to continue reading.
Ohio Turnpike tolls will rise Jan. 1, despite effort to freeze them
By Tom Breckenridge for the Plain Dealer
BEREA, OH — A proposal to freeze toll hikes on the Ohio Turnpike is dead in the water, the commission’s new chairman says. Tolls will rise Jan. 1 about 10 percent for cars and truck, under a plan the turnpike commission voted for in 2009. Click here to continue reading.
Making the Ohio referendum about Obama
By Ben Smith for Politico
A reader sends over this striking mailer from the campaign for Ohio Issue 2, a Wisconsin-style measure to roll back employee unions. The contrast – between the shadowed president and the bright white citizen – is hard to miss, and the details of the proposal are buried by the clear anti-Obama message. Click here to continue reading.
Lawmakers seek probe on banks’ new debit card fees
By the Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress are asking the Justice Department to investigate whether Bank of America and other major banks improperly worked together to charge customers new monthly fees for using their debit cards. Click here to continue reading.
What We’re Reading – Wednesday Oct. 12
This is a daily roundup of news that has an impact on the economy and other legislative issues here in the state of Ohio. On a few occasions, we’ll even link to national news that is pertinent to the Fight for a Fair Economy.
Articles we’re reading:
Kasich: The worst?
By Evan Bevins for the Marietta Times
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is a polarizing figure in his own state, but he’s also developing a national reputation in some circles as one of the worst governors in the nation. But Kasich spokesperson Rob Nichols said the numbers aren’t even on the governor’s radar and dismissed emails the office has been getting from a website featuring a “Worst Governor Ever” contest as “political nonsense.” Click here to continue reading.
Senate Republicans vote to kill Obama’s jobs bill over spending, millionaires tax increase
Cross Posted from the Toledo Blade
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans have voted to kill the White House jobs bill despite weeks of campaign-style barnstorming by President Obama across the country. Forty-six Republicans joined with two Democrats to filibuster the $447 billion plan. Click here to continue reading.
Woman appears in pro, con S.B. 5 ads
By Jim Provance for the Toledo Blade
COLUMBUS — Depending on which political ad you’re watching, Marlene Quinn is either an opponent or a supporter of Ohio’s new law restricting public-employee collective bargaining. Dueling ads feature the Cincinnatian who credits local firefighters with rescuing her great-grandfather, Zoey, from a fire. Ms. Quinn originally participated in the ad financed by We Are Ohio, the organization largely fueled by labor and Democratic groups, to criticize Senate Bill 5 for taking fire-station staffing levels off the bargaining table. Click here to continue reading.
Bill on China trade easily passes in Senate
By Jack Torry for the Columbus Dispatch
WASHINGTON — Brushing aside fears of a trade war with China, the Senate approved a bill yesterday sponsored by Sen. Sharrod Brown that could lead to tariffs against Chinese goods flowing into the United States. Although House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester, has called the bill “dangerous” and President Obama has yet to endorse it, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill by a vote of 63-35. Click here to continue reading.
Firefighter contract would freeze wages until 2014
By Jane Prendergast for the Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati firefighters finish voting Wednesday on a contract that would continue their wage freeze until 2014. The new agreement, if approved, also would change the way the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 48′s president is paid to have his or her salary come from members rather than half from the city, as the system works now. Click here to continue reading.
Occupy Cincinnati protesters to march to court
By Steve Kemme for the Cincinnati Enquirer
DOWNTOWN — Occupy Cincinnati protesters who have been receiving police citations for refusing to leave a public park at night are planning to take their fight to the courts today. The group says in an email that it will stage a march today to the Hamilton County Justice Center, where at least one member of the group has a hearing on a police citation. Click here to continue reading.
Television stations pulling SB5 commercial over concerns it is misleading
By Reginald Fields for the Plain Dealer
COLUMBUS, OH — Twenty-seven television stations have pulled a pro-Issue 2 commercial that uses pirated video and audio of a Cincinnati great-grandmother who actually first appeared in an ad for the campaign that opposes the issue, according to the opposition campaign. That figure is courtesy of We Are Ohio, the union backed group that is seeking to repeal Senate Bill 5, the state’s new collective bargaining law. Building a Better Ohio, the group backing the new law, however, says the number is closer to 15 stations and declinging. Click here to continue reading.
Protesters urge passage of jobs bill
By Tristan Navera for the Columbus Dispatch
A second day of Downtown protests brought more than 100 people to the Statehouse yesterday calling for jobs and “economic accountability”. About 80 protesters with Jobs Not Cuts, a MoveOn.org affiliated group marched from Wall Street to the Statehouse where they joined with more from the ongoing Occupy Columbus and We Are Ohio movements. Click here to continue reading.
