Often times, it seems like Ohio's anti-union bill, SB-5, is overlooked by the media and progressives because Wisconsin's anti-union bill is surrounded by more drama. Sure, they have the bigger protests, their Democratic Senators have left the state, but lost amid all of this is that Ohio's anti-union bill actually goes further than Wisconsin's. Whereas Wisconsin's bill would exclude police and firefighters, Ohio's bill would not.
I'm the Political Director for Ohio State's College Democrats, and as one of the larger political organizations in Columbus, and our state's Capital, a large number of our members attend the near-daily protests against this bill.
I'm not going to lie and say it's a chore or some sort of bother to protest this bill. It's actually a lot of fun, and we enjoy doing it. There's something gratifying about doing good, hard work on behalf of the good, solid middle-class working families.
But we could use your help. The Senate recently passed this bill using shady, backroom methods. They re-arranged the makeup of a committee so that the bill could be passed through the Senate. In the Ohio House, they've done the same thing, although the bill has yet to be voted on.
This next week of protests will be the most important yet. If you consider giving Ohio State's College Democrats $5, we'll be able to buy poster-board to continue making our witty and clever anti-John Kasich signs. If you give us $10, we can make flyers to advertise these protests to as many students as possible. I don't know how many of you have been to Ohio in March, but it's pretty nippy. For $20, we'll be able to buy pizza for our wonderful volunteers. If I've learned anything in my time with College Democrats, it's that you should never underestimate the recruiting power of pizza.
Thanks for all your support! I'd like to open the comments up to your witty/clever anti-SB5 poster suggestions. I'll post a follow-up blog sometime next week with pictures of the signs that we decide to make.