No economy ever grew by arbitrarily driving down the living standards of working people -- including those who toil for their fellow taxpayers.The quote appeared in a Plain Dealer editorial about plans by the governor and some in the state legislature to
...modify Ohio's collective bargaining law for public employees. Also in Republican cross hairs: Ohio's "prevailing wage" law which -- in essence -- requires union-scale wages to be paid on public construction projects; and two union-friendly executive orders issued by Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland in 2007 and 2008 that created collective bargaining rights for some health-care and child-care providers.Yup, it's going to be a long four years in Ohio. Kasich, of course, is simply paying back the corporate zillionaires who got him elected. The Columbus Dispatch lists some of them: Donald Trump, billionaire casino investor Sheldon G. Adelson of Las Vegas; Baltimore Ravens owner Stephen Bisciotti; Stanley Fulton of Anchor Gaming in Las Vegas; Peter Coors of Coors Brewing in Colorado; and Gerardo Larrea of San Juan, Puerto Rico, CEO of South American Restaurants Corp.
Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, also marches to the tune that the corporate zillionaires are playing. The Dispatch lists some of the proposals she's considering for next year. She wants to eliminate collective bargaining for public service employees, and
- Eliminate from state law automatic pay increases for longevity, known as steps. Jones said these could still be negotiated.
- Require more accurate disclosure of pay raises to the public, including step increases. "You shouldn't be able to say you didn't get a raise when it's a raise we called something else," Jones said.
- Eliminate the law that gives teachers 15 sick days per year. This would be negotiated, Jones said.
- Prohibit schools and local governments from picking up any part of an employer's pension contribution.
- Prohibit employers from paying more than 80 percent of the costs of health-insurance premiums.
