Tuesday’s speech is one of many she will make to groups throughout the state, such as the Tea Party, before election day, Jones said.
“I know there’s so much disinformation out there,” Jones said. “I’m going to fight tooth and nail to preserve the reasonable provisions of Senate Bill 5.”
The legislation outlaws strikes by Ohio’s 360,000 public employees, eliminates binding arbitration used by police and firefighters, ends automatic pay increases and requires workers to pay at least 15 percent of their health care costs and all of their pension contributions. It also requires that pay raises for public employees be on a merit-based system.
“We have to establish a compensation system based on performance,” Jones said. “(Employees should) not be paid because they existed in a job for another year. It’s not that we want to eliminate public employees or cut and slash benefits for public employees.”
Workers may still bargain for wages and some terms and working conditions, but management has the right to impose its offer if the two sides reach an impasse.
The bill, which is Issue 2 on November’s ballot, will help Ohio to keep its best teachers in the classroom, achieve balance between the public and private sectors and be one piece in the puzzle to restore Ohio back to prosperity, Jones said.
“It’s not about eliminating (public workers rights),” Jones said. “It’s about rethinking and transforming in a way that’s sustainable.”
A July poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, however, shows that 56 percent of Ohioans currently support a repeal of the law, which was passed in March.
When asked by an audience member what will happen should Issue 2 be voted down, Jones was blunt in her response.
“We end up right back where we’ve started from,” Jones said. “My fear is if Issue 2 fails, it’s just one more (instance of) kicking the can down the road. There’s no do-over here. Now’s the time to say we’re not going to kick the can down the road.”
One audience member, Adrian Brown, a member of the International Union of Operationg Engineers Local 18 in Cincinnati, told Jones he felt SB5 was disrespecting union workers.
“You’re smacking down a lot of smaller unions,” Brown said. “SB5 painted with a broad brush.”
The bill will even affect the political party he will vote for in November, Brown said.
“I’m a registered Republican, but I will say I probably won’t be voting Republican,” Brown said.
Another member of the audience, West Chester Twp. Trustee George Lang, said that the bill was a good start regarding contract negotiations between administrators and unions, especially in eliminating the authority of independent arbitrators.
“You can’t replace these arbitrators that are appointed and responsible to nobody,” Lang said. The bill will give elected officials the authority in negotiations, he said.
Overall, SB5 will allow the state to attack its fiscal problems, Jones said.
“Look, we are living way beyond our means,” Jones said. “We better get our heads screwed on straight.”
The legislation, if approved by voters in November, would immediately go into effect.
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