Tag Archives: taxpayers

Gov. Kaisch and Senator Brown’s Battle for Ohio Taxpayer Money

Govenor Kaisch has decided to drop out of the National Governor’s Association (NGA), according to the Columbus Dispatch. Kaisch wants to save Ohio the $176,000 annual dues. Moreover, he claims the costs are greater than the benefits. Of course, the NGA’s recent report that spot lighted some of Kaisch’s budget balancing cuts as among the biggest in the nation might influenced his decision just a little bit.

While Gov. Kaisch is trying to save the state money, Senator Sherrod Brown want to increase the cost of government in Ohio. Brown is seeking donation to campaign agianst Ohio newly revised public employee collective bargaining law known as Sentate Bill 5. It’s understandable why Senator Brown is stumping against SB5. If he stuck to just making federal laws, his collective baragaing union voters would likely vote for someone else the next election.

Readers might have guessed that this blogger favors SB5. Saving taxpayers money is a good thing. Reformation that benefits non-union workers and taxpayers is a good thing too. Even better is local and state representatives enabled to represent the best interest of their community taxpayers rather than being hamstrung by rigid collective bargaining law that favor the public unions. And inspite of the growing number of public employees, the majority of Ohio workers are not members of any union.

If memory serves, Governor Kaisch signed SB5 into law.

Ohio’s Public Union Collective Bargaining Reform (SB 5) Issue

If you drove down Dayton Avenue last Sunday, you may have noticed the traffic in and out of the Fraternal Order of Police parking lot. You may have also noticed the little sign inviting the public to sign the union-initiated referendum petition against Ohio Senate Bill 5. This is the recently passed law forbidding public employees from striking and limiting collective bargaining.

Notice, the bill does not end collective bargaining. Rather, it places considerable restrictions on the procedures and content of public union bargains. It also includes limits on employee benefits such paid sick leave, accrued vacation days, and the percentage of employer contribution to employee health care. The new law even prohibits public employers from paying employee pension plan contributions.

Offensive to members of NEA is the end of mandatory time off as sick days and the end of tenured contracts. The new law requires school boards to provide the specific number of paid sick days thus ending mandatory time off. Except for teachers with existing tenured contracts, the law ends continuing contracts.

In addition to reductions of benefits and certain perks, the new law will make public employees earn increased salaries. That is, the SB 5 makes employee pay based on merit not union seniority, time of service, or statutory pay scales. To unions, that is probably the most grievous evil of all.

SB 5 provides two additional benefits for taxpayers: public employers are now able to modify an existing bargaining agreement when such is in fiscal emergency or fiscal watch, and the new law prohibits a bargaining agreement from limiting a public employer’s ability to privatize operations.

It appears public union collective bargaining reform (SB5) law is meant to bring public employee pay and benefits in-line with the public sector. By doing so, the cost of government will be reduced.

Whether or not public employee unions get the required signatures to place the new law on the November ballot, the next reform on the public agenda should be the hierarchical reduction of government spending and subsequent taxation.

See a complete analysis of SB 5 at http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/analyses129/s0005-ps-129.pdf