As a taxpayer and area resident, I have been following Senate Bill 5 from the beginning. I attended a town hall meeting put on by Rep. Debbie Phillips where I obtained a copy of the pledge Sen. Jimmy Stewart signed supporting unions and collective bargaining.
As someone who voted for Sen. Stewart, I was appalled when he did a 180 — dropping his constituents to not only hop on, but also drive, the so-called “Kasich” bus. He not only voted for Senate Bill 5 but actually was the one passing vote that put the nail in his community’s coffin.
Since then, I have been reading his statements to the media saying one had nothing to do with the other. I beg to differ. I was handed an email response from him to a constituent who wrote him opposing SB5 where Sen. Stewart states that he does not feel his support of SB5 violates his pledge to unions.
I have both, and have sent both as well as a summary of the damage done to unions and every other middle class worker in Ohio by his support of SB5, along with this letter, to The Post. He did violate it and, in my opinion, flat-out lied when he needed our support.
He talks of “misinformation” being given, but the only “misinformation” is what he is spreading trying to salvage his political career. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice? I don’t think so. Everyone should read the information, do some research and then make his or her own informed opinion.
If unions can collectively bargain only on wages (and there are way more things an employee should have a voice on), yet the final decision if the two sides don’t agree is made by the legislative body who ruled against the fact-finder report, and workers can’t strike without being fined, jailed (really?) or terminated, then what real collective bargaining rights do the workers have? None. It’s just smoke and mirrors.
According to Sen. Stewart’s pledge, employers who interfere with, harass, threaten or fire workers for forming unions, or who deliberately manipulate the legal system (does manipulating senate and house committee votes by the Republican majority count?) to prevent organizing are harming not only their employees but also their community with the resulting effect of driving down the standards of the community as a whole.
The passing of Senate Bill 5 will devastate this already distressed, impoverished area, and nothing Sen. Stewart now says will change the fact that he voted for it and broke his word in doing so.
Dawn Hunley resides in Nelsonville.
