A revised Senate Bill 5, which would limit collective bargaining rights for public sector unions, passed yesterday in the Ohio House of Representatives by nine votes.
The bill passed 53-44 on the house floor, where House Republicans expressed their support for the bill during the almost three-and-a-half-hour debate.
House Republicans, who outnumber Democrats 59 to 40, made revisions to the original bill, which passed the Ohio Senate March 2.
The substitute bill removes a proposed penalty of fines and possible imprisonment for public employees who strike. It also allows unions to bargain for safety equipment, according to the revised legislation. The original bill still allowed for unions to bargain salaries.
Supporters of the bill say it is a way to balance the state budget and provide public managers more flexibility to control costs.
During yesterday’s debate, State Rep. Ron Young, a Republican from Leroy Twp., said Ohio does not have the funding to support the number of employees in the public sector as costs, such as education, continue to increase.
“When economic times are tough, it is not unreasonable to ask public employees to make cuts,” said Pete Couladis, chairman of the Athens County Republican Party.
He added that the bill would put equity back into the system by allowing taxpayers to have more of a say in how their money is spent.
Opponents of the bill say it targets the working middle class and is not an efficient way to balance the state budget.
“(People) are very upset because this is an attack on their wallets and their ability to keep a roof over their family’s heads,” said Dennis Willard, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, in response to the tens of thousands of people protesting the bill at the statehouse yesterday.
Bill Bias, chairman of the Athens County Democratic Party, said he disagrees with the Republican leadership’s decision.
“It’s one devastating blow after another and I am disappointed,” he said.
Despite the revisions to the bill, most Democrats said during the debate that the bill should be eliminated altogether.
“Ohio is polarized because of Senate Bill 5, and we need to scrap it,” said State Rep. Alicia Reece, a Democrat from Cincinnati.
Reece added that the bill should be rewritten with input from both Republicans and Democrats.
After the Ohio Senate votes on the revisions made to the bill, the bill will be sent to Gov. John Kasich for approval.
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