‘We Are Ohio’ Uses $30 Million to Kill Union Reform
by Jason HartUnion bosses in Ohio and Washington, D.C. are – oddly enough – opposed to the sensible government union reforms in Ohio’s Senate Bill 5. Exactly how opposed? Combine yesterday’s cash and in-kind numbers from the Ohio Secretary of State with the figures from July, and you’ll see that unions have sunk more than $28 million into the campaign against Issue 2.
Out of $30.5 million dollars given to We Are Ohio since the union front group was created this spring, the overwhelming majority is directly from union bosses standing to lose power over Ohio taxpayers when Issue 2 passes. It’s been expensive convincing Ohioans that government union reform will destroy the middle class and return Ohio to the days of Jim Crow laws. Who has contributed the most to “We Are Ohio’s” dishonest smear campaign?
- Ohio Education Association (state NEA affiliate): $5.87 million
- AFSCME (D.C.) $3 million
- National Labor Table (D.C.): $3 million
- AFSCME Local 11: $1.94 million
- National Education Association (D.C.): $2 million
- Communications Workers of America (D.C.): $1.5 million
- AFL-CIO (D.C.): $1.5 million
- AFSCME Local 4: $1.46 million
- Ohio Federation of Teachers (state AFT affiliate): $1.26 million
- SEIU 1199 (New York): $1 million
- SEIU 1199 (Ohio): $1 million
It’s also worth noting that more than $100,000 of the non-individual Ohio contributions are from the Ohio Democratic Party, and nearly every individual donor who lists a profession is a union rep. This could prove donors’ selfless dedication to the happiness of Ohio government employees (taxpayers and cruel “mathematics” aside)… but that isn’t what my past few months of Ohio Education Association research would suggest!
Get the facts about Ohio Issue 2, spread the truth before November 8th, and watch this space for more…
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32 Comments
Great time to show the unions that Ohio cannot be bought.
It is great to see huge support for SB5 outside of Ohio. With all the unions that live around me, I have the only vote yes sign. I have gotten a new sign twice!
It does seem that union bigwigs and the dims are behind this piece of chicken scratch to defame SB5. It's typical Brownshirt thuggery, misinformation, and hyperbole.
"‘We Are Ohio’ Uses $30 Million to Kill Union Reform"
Sounds about like the $35 Million they spent in Wisconsin to beat reform.
May it be another major waste of money. Go Ohio.
The states who want to right the ship and reform unions should all pass union reform at the same time. The unions would bankrupt themselves trying to stop the measures. Look how much money was spent on 2 states. Imagine if 15 or 20 states did this.
Looks like union dues will necessarily have to skyrocket…. Either that or another union bailout will have to be ordered by the Kleptocrat and Thief.
These groups sure do know how to throw money around, don't they? This is getting ridiculous, IMO.
WHAT A COUNTRY!!!
.
Maybe not bought…. but stolen is a completely different matter.
Tell me again why I as a taxpayer must bailout union pension funds? Get the F..k Outta Here!!
All the money would be wasted on a populace that had a basic grasp of arithmetic, logic, economics, etc. to say nothing of civil liberties.
Job done, NEA.
The less power and influence unions have the better it is for the average worker and our economy. Unions are a cancer on growth and prosperity. Unions have priced themselves out of competition; unions have bankrupted municipalities nation wide; unions reward incompetence and corruption; unions, and democrat policies, are mainly the reason for our economic ills.
Always amusing to watch any union squander the cash and crawl away empty handed. Too bad that most of that cash went into the coffers of equally distasteful hate mongering malicious media. The downtick is that all that cash they trash comes from consumers and tax payers who have paid too much for union swill. If the union was involved, you probably paid too much.
Now we understand why union pension funds are underfunded.
Every dollar that unions spend fighting against reforms is one less dollar they will have to use for campaigning in Ohio next year.
Now that logic is very appealing.
I live in Ohio and never EVER want to hear about "underpaid" government workers ever again. In order to kill this vitally important reform effort the "underpaid" public unions are somehow outspending Issue 2's "fatcat" supporters by four-to-one. The anti-Issue 2 forces are using the grossest and basest demagoguery to win this thing which they probably will given their tactics and the fact that this is an off-year election. They will then express shock and outrage when the state of Ohio and local governments have to lay off thousands of public workers because they can't afford to pay them.
Gov. Kasich has his faults but he is one brave SOB to take this on try and to face down the forces that are bankrupting this state. However neither the unions, the teachers nor the Dems give a damn as long as they get theirs and hold on to their political power. Ohio just lost two congressional districts in the most recent census and our shrinking tax base simply can't afford 1980's style public union contracts.
I welcome all of this. The harder the unions try, the more they get reckless and become exposed for the corrupt organizations they are. And if they blow all their money fighting at the state level, they won't have cash for their get-out-the-(dead)-vote drives next November.
We need more states doing what Wisconsin and Ohio are doing. They're shining a light on union ugliness and helping to starve the beast.
How much did the Union commies throw at Wisconsin? – AND LOST!
JMHO. I believe that after the 2012 elections, the unions days will be numbered. Why?…because they've exposed themselves to be nothing but Chicago style knuckle dragging thugs. No good for America.
The unions biggest fear,no more forced dues,the government will no long collect the union dues for these thugs,good ole Bob if faced with the choice between a beer or paying the union dues might choose the beer,I think Bob will choose the beer instead of the union dues.
I long for the days when Unions honestly represented their members and fought for better working conditions and reasonable work hours. What do they fight for today? MORE MONEY, MORE BENEFITS, LESS WORK
I live in WI. Since 'collective thuggery/bargaining' has been limited, the school districts are now prospering…. shhhhh, 'they' don't want this news to get out
That $35 mil could have helped pay a lot of benefits to their members who they stole it from.
I was in a union once for a little while and they were completely worthless. It is like they were non exsistent. Of course there were a few waterboys who lapped up every word they said but most of us just shrugged it off. When they went on strike I worked anyway and they all hated me but it was like who cares, you never did anything for me. This was in the Democratic Republic of Hawaii. If you ever want to see what one party rule can do to a State just look at Hawaii. It is actually like Detroit without the black people. Naturally we have the beautiful scenery but under the veneer are unfunded liabilities that will break this place in just a few more years. Particularly as the population is aging. The infrastructure is struggling and the public schools are horrible. All of the liberal, unionized teachers that have kids send them to private school. It is amazing with the need for two more sewage treatment plants, at a cost of 5-6 Billion!) and a water main break somewhere daily the bureaucrats, pols, and unions are pushing for a 6 billion dollar rail system. All of this is on the island of Oahu, Honolulu, where we do not even have a million people.
I wonder how much more money the unions will have if state after state keeps trying to pass laws against union thuggery?
The only problem is that they would probably raise the dues owed by members so they can make up for the loss of money for this campaign
Kind of like our energy prices under "King Obama's" plan?
I find it hugely ironic that Governor Brown in California is forced by economic reality to reform that state's pension system, but the unions there are strangely quiet. They only seem to squeak when Republican governors try to reform. Party before country = fail.
What a gambit! Spend millions of dollars to lie to taxpayers to convince them how important it is that the voters block needed reforms so the public sector unions can continue screwing the rest of us. Note: every time union reps talk about the "middle class", they are refering only to their union membersip; apparently, the rest of us in the private sector must continue to pick up their tab for unsustainable benefit packages most of us in the private sector had to give up years ago so our employers could afford to stay in business.
Great idea.
Hey mannnn, unions built the middle class in this country! My teacher told me it, or something. Ya!
Naturally we have the beautiful scenery but under the veneer are unfunded liabilities that will break this place in just a few more years. Particularly as the population is aging. The infrastructure is struggling and the public schools are horrible. All of the liberal, unionized teachers that have kids send them to private school. kitchenblog
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