Ohioans Vote No on Issue 2, Preserve Collective Bargaining for Fire Fighters

November 8, 2011 -- Ohio voters have delivered a resounding message to their governor – one that will likely reverberate across the nation in the coming months – soundly rejecting his effort to destroy collective bargaining for fire fighters and other public employees.

In a turnout that was heavy for an off-year ballot measure, Ohioans – by vote of 61 percent to 39 percent -- selected “No” on Issue 2, repealing Governor John Kasich’s signature reform measure – also known as Senate Bill 5.

The outcome in Ohio is not only a huge blow for the governor, defeating Issue 2 is also a momentum-shifting victory for the IAFF and other labor groups that have been fighting from coast to coast against state-level anti-worker agendas.

“The people of Ohio have spoken and the rest of our nation is listening,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger, who watched the election returns from Columbus. “America’s hard-working middle class is sick and tired of these Wall Street-funded extremist politicians trying to trash their collective bargaining rights and other benefits.”

On November 7, Schaitberger appeared on MSNBC’s The Ed Show surrounded by scores of IAFF members clad in the signature IAFF gold and black T-shirts. And he was back on the air with Ed Schultz November 8 as the votes were being counted.

Though polls leading up to Tuesday’s election suggested Ohioans would vote to end SB 5, labor groups – including the IAFF – left nothing to chance. The IAFF contributed significant resources to the “Vote No on Issue 2” efforts, including a potent advertising and get-out-the-vote campaign leading right up until the polls opened. And, We Are Ohio, a coalition of AFL-CIO labor unions conducted a huge grassroots and media campaign to convince voters to Vote No on Issue 2.

“SB 5 was nothing short of a brazen effort to cripple labor’s influence in Ohio and give more power to deep-pocketed corporate donors,” says IAFF 8th District Vice President Paul Hufnagel.

Local Ohio media covered every possible angle of the Issue 2 ballot initiative debate, and television and print reporters showed up at each stop of a four-day Ohio Fire Fighters Get Out the Vote Bus Tour.

"In Ohio, there are no standards or safety regulations that govern the job we do, so we rely on collective bargaining agreements to make sure we have a voice, and the vote demonstrates that citizens understand the importance of that fact,” says President of the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters (OAPFF) Mark Sanders.

Schaitberger stressed throughout the effort to defeat Issue 2 and repeal SB 5 that the key to victory would be grassroots mobilization leading right into Election Day.

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