DEAR EDITOR:
Over the last 30 to 40 years, the middle class has worked hard to earn a worthy wage to raise our children and create a better community for our families. Sometimes, we've received pay raises and at others, we've taken pay cuts and pension reductions. We have never asked for exorbitant pay raises. We've paid our mortgages, supported our local businesses and educated our children. As the middle class grew, we have come to know how important it is to have a union because together we create a stronger voice for the middle class.
The Kasich administration is now using its political and corporate donors to stifle the voice of the middle class. The same people who run Wall Street and created the largest divide between the super-rich and the working poor are now pouring millions into state government Republican politicians in order to break the backs of the middle class and our communities. These are the same people who have tried to stop Social Security, Medicare and privatize any American resource that benefits middle class America.
The Kasich cronies are now making more false statements that public workers make 43 percent more than the private sector. The truth is that public workers only make up 7 percent of the workforce and if you average all minimum wage earners in Ohio up against public workers, you get a very distorted statistic. If you average middle class private sector workers compared to public workers, you will see that public workers make about 30 percent less.
It is very misleading to compare the wage of the high school student serving burgers and fries to the pay of a firefighter and policeman. Nurses, teachers, school employees and civil servants have taken pay cuts and do pay their retirement and health care co-pays. Kasich and his Republican cronies have received pay raises this year and have made themselves exempt from Senate Bill 5 provisions. If the legislators who support this bill think it's so good, why did they make sure they weren't a part of it?
Seniority rights were instituted to stop nepotism. Do you really believe there will be job protection without it? Political cronyism will be out of control. What happens when the school board member's nephew needs a job without seniority?
Senate Bill 5 was initiated in order to divide the middle class so they can conquer the entire middle class and give tax breaks to Kasich's corporate cronies in Ohio. Kasich gave away over $200 million in corporate tax breaks and took funding from schools, townships, cities and counties.
Vote no on Issue 2 to ensure the Republican fat cats don't have it all. They'll sell Ohio to the highest bidder.
Jean Lanam
Niles