As many of you know one of the most important issues on the ballot anywhere in the country this fall is State issue 2 in Ohio. This issue aims to repeal the union busting bill, Senate Bill 5. Opponents of SB-5 successfully raised 1.3 million signatures to get this on the ballot this year and in doing so rebuked John Kasich and his cohorts.
So now as might be expected, money is pouring in from out of State to confuse the issue and rescue John Kasich from his own folly.
But check this out. We Are Ohio, the labor backed campaign to defeat SB-5 put a very effective add on the air recently that apparently was a little too effective. So the corporate interests trying defend union busting have literally stolen portion of the add and used it as their own, trying of course to confuse voters and win the day. In the process they have used the voice and image of Marlene Quinn, a Cincinnati great grandmother against her own wishes.
If you needed any more evidence of how far these people are willing to go to win, I submit this is it. See it for yourself, its hard to believe.
One of the firefighters on the scene that night issued the following statement today:
"I applaud the decision by the stations to pull down this deeply offensive and misleading ad. Marlene Quinn is deeply hurt by the deceptive use of her words. My fellow Fire Fighters and I are outraged that anti-worker politicians have taken advantage of a senior citizen for speaking out in support of her granddaughter. As the incident commander and the first Fire Fighter on the scene, I can tell you that it took a team of over 40 Fire Fighters working together to rescue Zoey and her grandfather. Without collective bargaining, we might not have had enough Fire Fighters on hand to save their lives. Senate Bill 5 and Issue 2 are unsafe for our community. I call on all media outlets to respect the wishes of Marlene Quinn and stop airing this deeply offensive and misleading ad."
You can go here to sign a petition to get this ad pulled.
Below is the text of a press release issued on this matter today:
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“YES ON ISSUE 2” CAMPAIGN SINKS TO NEW LOW: GREAT-GRANDMOTHER CALLS ON BUILDING A BETTER OHIO TO IMMEDIATELY PULL THEIR MISLEADING TELEVISION AD USING HER LIKENESS WITHOUT PERMISSION
Columbus- Today Marlene Quinn, a great-grandmother from Cincinnati, called on Building A Better Ohio to immediately pull a television ad using her likeness without her permission.
Mrs. Quinn spoke out against Issue 2 in a television ad produced by We Are Ohio thanking Cincinnati firefighters who saved her great-granddaughter Zoey from a deadly fire.
On Tuesday, the “Yes on Issue 2” campaign that wants to take away collective bargaining rights from firefighters, police officers, teachers, nurses and other public employees began running an ad that uses Mrs. Quinn’s image without her permission.
The “Yes on Issue 2” campaign manipulates footage in an attempt to mislead viewers and represent a message that is the exact opposite from the message Mrs. Quinn expresses in the We Are Ohio television spot.
"I think it's dishonest and downright deceitful that they would use footage of me to try to play tricks and fool voters," Mrs. Quinn said.
"It's insulting to the brave firefighters that saved the lives of my grandson and my great-granddaughter Zoey. I'm outraged. They did not ask my permission. I feel violated," Marlene said. "I want to stop Senate Bill 5. Everyone should vote No on Issue 2.”
Senate Bill 5 makes it illegal for firefighters to collectively bargain for safe staffing levels and harder for them to negotiate for safety equipment. State budget cuts of more than $1.4 billion in funding for kids, classrooms and communities, combined with SB 5, could lead to 51,000 fewer jobs in Ohio—including fewer firefighters, police and paramedics—which will lead to slower response times for first responders across the state.
Jack Reall, a Columbus firefighter, said, “Thousands of firefighters all across Ohio oppose Issue 2. The ‘Yes’ on Issue 2 Campaign is deliberately misleading voters—when in fact Issue 2 will put our communities and our families at risk.”
“This is the exact reason that Senate Bill 5 is bad idea. We can’t put our safety in the hands of politicians and expect them to do the right thing,” Reall said.
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