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COLUMBUS — Nearly 4,000 union supporters and hundreds of Tea Party backers swarmed the Ohio Statehouse on Thursday as hearings continued on a plan to cut collective bargaining rights for tens of thousands of government workers.
Ohio is one of several states where lawmakers are looking to rein in union labor to battle billions in state budget deficits.
Also Thursday, 25,000 rallied in Madison, Wis., to oppose the governor’s plan that would eliminate collective bargaining for most public employees. Since more than 1,000 schoolteachers called in sick to join the protests in Wisconsin, several school districts were forced to close.
The two states — both with new Republican governors — are emerging as battlegrounds for challenging how public contracts have been negotiated for decades.
Similar crowds can be expected in Ohio as the bill moves forward, predicted AFSCME Ohio Council 8 Field Services Director Tom Ritchie Sr. “I think we’ll see that many union people in the streets. Absolutely,” Ritchie said.
Ohio senators held a marathon hearing on Senate Bill 5 Thursday with more than 40 witnesses testifying on both sides.
Those in favor said management’s hands are tied by contracts that deliver generous benefits and automatic pay raises that lead to service cuts and layoffs.
“I just don’t believe that the power that has been gained in collective bargaining is helping in education. I actually think it’s hurting us,” said Kelly Kohls, a Springboro Board of Education member who testified.
The Columbus crowd — estimated between 3,800 and 5,000 — exceeded turnout on any piece of legislation in at least the last 10 years.
“We like these people. We just can’t afford them anymore,” said Ted Hoke, a General Motors retiree from Huber Heights and a Tea Party member. “I just think we need some reasonable negotiation as far as pensions and benefits for the public sector jobs. I lost my health benefits from where I used to work. I did not turn to the government to pick up the slack.”
It is unclear when the bill will move to the full Senate for a vote or whether it will be significantly amended. State Sen. Keith Faber, R-Celina, vice chairman of the committee handling the bill, said, “It’ll go to the floor when it’s ready. It could be next week; it could be next month.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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