Kasich said avoiding a fight over state Issue 2 is in "best interest of everyone, including public employee unions." He asked the unions to "set aside political agendas and past offenses."My initial reaction is that I don't think the unions will accept a compromise. I also don't think that Kasich believes that the unions will accept a compromise.
But We Are Ohio, the coalition that is leading the effort to overturn the collective bargaining law, reacted negatively almost immediately.
"They can repeal the entire bill or join us in voting no on Nov. 8," said spokeswoman Melissa Fazekas.
I think they went public with this to show that they are willing to have discussions, and then let the unions display their unwillingness to compromise by walking away. For example, it was confirmed during the announcement that there were talks between the OEA and AFL/CIO with people representing Kasich, something that We Are Ohio denied on Friday. The governor also said that there were some good ideas on the table then, but the unions walked away.
While polls have shown that Ohioans will reject Senate Bill 5 in November, there are parts of the bill that are popular in those same polls. An example of that would be support for requiring public employees to contribute more towards their own health care and retirement.
By making this very public invitation now, I think they expect the unions to refuse again, demonstrate the same total opposition to any change in the status quo, hoping that that will turn some voters towards voting yes on Issue 2 and keeping the reforms that we need to help turn Ohio around.
Of course, this is just speculation. Is that their strategy? Would that strategy work? Will the unions accept the governor's invitation? Time will tell.
Update: Courtesy of Ohio Capital Blog, here is the letter to the We Are Ohio campaign.
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The only thing they went public with was their acknowledgement of SB5 being a complete disaster of a bill. People will see this for what it is : An admission that SB5 is completely effed.
ReplyDeleteI see a We Are Ohio shill has spewed their rhetoric already. No surprise there. The Union/Democrat Machine has been impossible throughout this process. They have refused to participate at all in hatching of a concerted plan to remedy the corrupt relationship between public unions and local/state government.
ReplyDeleteAs a public employee who has worked for SEIU1199, I can attest to the need for reforms like minimum contributions to benefits, merit based pay, ending "fair share" and forced union dues, and others in this important reform bill. Our local governments NEED these reforms to help them restore fiscal sanity and ensure the effectiveness of our many services.
Ha! Not a democrat, but I can tell you that it will take me a long time to vote republican again. The tea baggers are absolutely destroying that party. This "olive branch" that Kasich has extended is nothing more than an attempt to deflect responsibility when Ohio goes to Obama next year.
ReplyDeleteNo. Youre not a democrat. You'a shilling liberal bigot. Your cowardly attack on the Tea Party Movement, and Republicans proves that.
ReplyDeleteHad zero problem with republicans before this... You are clueless about the political ramifications of this bill and the direction the tea party is taking the republican party. Even your boy Kasich can see they're steering him off a cliff.
ReplyDeleteYou misstate what We Are Ohio said. They said that Kasich can repeal the bill, and then they would talk. They want the talks to start on equal footing and a clean slate.
ReplyDeleteThis is a total capitulation by Kasich. It shows that he knows SB 5 is going down in flames.
I'm enjoying watching your hypocritical, cowardly governor trying to back pedal to save his rear end and the rest of the sheep at TBP doing the same. See you in November.
ReplyDeleteHey Modern, here's a quote from Ayn Rand (gasp!! oh the humanity) that cuts both ways:
ReplyDeleteIn any compromise between food and poison only death wins.
You and the other insufferable snots on the left want to kill us so you can retire at 55 after years of not producing anything of value to the taxpayers. And you want that lavish life style funded by breaking the backs of the Ohio taxpayers.
If SB5 goes down, Ohio is done. The few productive people left in the state will head for texas in short order.
Who will you rape and rob then modern?