Cleveland Plain Dealer...
Vote for Issue 2 so public administrators can make staffing choices based on need
By Matt Dolan  
October 24, 2011 

On Nov. 8, Ohioans will go to the polls to vote on Issue 2, a referendum petition to decide whether the collective bargaining reforms contained in Senate Bill 5 will become Ohio law. A “yes” vote means the reforms will become law, while a “no” vote will maintain the status quo. 

Collective bargaining in this case is most appropriately defined as the ability of nonexempt public employees -- those whose compensation, benefits and pensions are paid for by taxpayers -- to negotiate with the administrators of public entities, who are also on the public payroll. Only the taxpayers are not represented at the table. If the parties can’t agree, a neutral arbitrator is brought in, which usually takes the middle position, thereby creating every incentive for unions to over-demand terms beyond what the public can afford. Such a process creates an inflated starting point for each new set of negotiations even as our governments spiral further into debt and taxpayers shoulder the burden. 

If Issue 2 passes, it will impact, not necessarily negatively, approximately 359,500 public employees. This represents 6.5 percent of Ohio’s work force of 5.5 million. According to The Columbus Dispatch, there are more people in Ohio looking for work than will be affected by the passage of Issue 2. 

The reforms bring fiscal control and responsibility back to the elected officials responsible for spending taxpayer dollars, which, in turn, gives taxpayers a seat at the negotiation table. Under the current system, the spending of taxpayer dollars is mandated by statute without any regard for the economy, performance or needs of the community. 

These reforms eliminate statutory pay increases; allow for merit-based promotion instead of seniority-based layoffs, reduce to 10 the number of statutory sick days enjoyed by public school teachers and require public employees who haven’t already done so to join the other 93.5% of the workforce by contributing a greater percentage to their own health insurance and pensions. 

The reforms do not eliminate a public employee’s ability to bargain for wages or for the cost of benefits, safety protections and other work conditions. Furthermore, they protect the right of firefighters and police to bargain over safety needs. 

Contrary to claims made by the Ohio Democratic Party chairman in a letter asking for donations, that reformers are “ready to throw the kitchen sink at the middle class,” these reforms protect middle-class tax dollars and empower them to administer the operation of their government through their elected officials. If, at the end of the contract negotiations, we don’t like the student-teacher ratio, the number of officers on the night shift or the safety equipment of our firefighters, we can demand improvement to those who are accountable to us, our elected officials. 

Not only will our children still learn from their teachers, our streets still be guarded and house fires still extinguished, the best and the brightest -- not just someone who’s been on the payroll for decades -- will be out there getting the job done. Public administrators will now be able to staff based on need, not seniority. Those responsible for collecting our money will now have to answer to us on how to spend that money. 

Doesn’t that make sense? 

Matt Dolan represented Ohio House District 98 from 2005 until 2010, when he ran unsuccessfully for Cuyahoga County executive. 

Read this and other articles at the Cleveland Plain Dealer

 Read "Vote Yes" from Cleveland Plain Dealer here.

Read “Vote No” from Cleveland Plain Dealer here