Teachers line up against ‘union-busting' SB 5

LIMA — An official from the state's largest teachers union laid out plans Wednesday to defeat Ohio Senate Bill 5, legislation he characterized as baldfaced union-busting.

“This is a real war. I am not overstating it,” said William Leibensperger, vice president of Ohio Education Association, during an informational meeting for OEA members at the United Auto Workers Hall in Bath Township. “I'm reluctant to say it only because it sounds like hyperbole, and it sounds like we're making this stuff up, but we couldn't make this stuff up.”

A centerpiece initiative of Gov. John Kasich, SB 5 would sharply curtail the rights of schoolteachers and other government employees to engage in collective bargaining. The Ohio Senate passed the bill by 17-16 vote three weeks ago. The House version is in committee.

About 65 people attended. Leibensperger asked how many had a good understanding of the legislation. About a dozen hands went up.

“Basically, what it does is it removes our right to collectively bargain. It does bust the power of the union. Proponents of the bill say it does not do away with collective bargaining. You can still collectively bargain for your wages ... and your benefits. But the rest of the bill tells you exactly what those limitation are.”

Limitations include:

•Health care would be an 85-15 split. Employees have no say in the choice of health insurance carrier.

•Wages can be negotiated, with pay increases based on merit.

•There would be no salary schedules or minimum salary levels, pay grades would be based on licensure.

•Labor strikes would be banned.

•Impasses in negotiations would be referred to a fact-finder who reports findings to the school board.

“So that's why we say there is no collective bargaining. There will be collective begging,” Leibensperger said. “We know it doesn't work. We know it leads to labor strife and labor strikes.”

Leibensperger said organized labor's efforts narrowed the Senate vote. He said Republicans in the House, who back Kasich's bill, hold a 20-vote majority, “so it would take 10 crossover votes to defeat this measure in the House. That's a real uphill battle.”

Assuming the House passes and Kasich signs the bill, it will become law 90 days later. The waiting period is to allow the public to challenge the legislation by referendum — a likely strategy but a very difficult and expensive one, Leibensperger said.

“Conventional wisdom is that they are going to get it through and sign it before April 6,” Leibensperger said, enabling it to be approved in time for a challenge on the November ballot. He said a referendum petition would require the signatures of at least 231,149 Ohio voters — 3 percent of the turnout in the last gubernatorial election.

The referendum campaign will require between $10 million and $20 million — money that will have to come from union members, but a small price considering what's at stake, Leibensperger said.

“This is our legacy,” he said. “This is the fight for our lives. This is the fight for collective bargaining for educational employees, and everything that we've grown accustomed to is at stake. If we fail, more will come. They will be emboldened.”

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