The Koch Union Busting Agenda Is About To Be Devastated By Ohio's 99%

Original Link: http://www.kochssuck.com/2011/10/koch-union-busting-agenda-is-about-to.html

By Jason Easley

In two weeks Ohio voters will decide the fate of the anti-collective bargaining law SB 5, and a new Quinnipiac poll found that 57% of the state’s voters are going to hand the Koch agenda a resounding defeat.

According to the Quinnipiac poll, by a margin of 57%-32% Ohio voters support repealing SB 5. Republicans oppose repealing SB 5 59%-32%, but Democrats support repeal 77%-13%, and unlike 2010, Independents have strongly sided with Democrats (56%-32%) in favor of repealing the bill. The lack of support for the law is comprehensive. A majority of both men (54%-38%) and women (58%-27%) support repealing the bill. Whites (54%-35%) and blacks (76%-15) both support repeal. People making over $100,000 (52%-42%) have joined those making less than $100,000 (59%-30%) in favoring repeal.

The most surprising number in the poll is that non-union households strongly support repeal, 52%-35%.

Koch backed Gov. John Kasich has made SB 5 his signature initiative, but Ohio voters aren’t buying the governor’s claim that union rights have to be limited in order for the state to balance its budget. Almost 60% (57%) of Ohio voters disagree with Kasich that collective bargaining powers must be limited. Ohio voters do support merit pay raises over seniority based raises, 49%-40%, and they also support the ideas that workers should pay 15% of their salaries for their healthcare, and 10% into their pensions, but this seems like more of an acknowledgment of the tough economic times than a stance against collective bargaining.

The opposition to the repeal of SB 5 is declining from week to week. Last week a PPP poll found that repeal was supported 56%-36%. Support for repeal has stayed the same (56% last week compared to 57% this week), but the opposition has declined from 36% last week to 32% this week. As we get closer to Election Day, the movement to repeal the Koch Brothers’ anti-collective bargaining fantasy is getting stronger.

Wisconsin got the ball rolling with their protests against Scott Walker’s plan to gut public sector collective bargaining, but it is Ohio that is on the cusp of delivering a huge political defeat to the Koch agenda of destroying collective bargaining on a state by state basis. Along with the Occupy Wall Street protests, Ohio’s SB 5 vote is looking like it could be a push back against the agenda of the one percent.

The Kochs were counting on Ohio to be the next domino to fall, but the people are standing up and getting ready to deal the Koch brothers a through defeat. Whether it is on Wall Street or at the ballot box in Ohio, the mood is the same. The 99% are mobilized and ready to defend themselves.
Ohio’s SB 5 vote represents the first chance to send the message that the people are willing to stand together to protect their rights and convert some of the feelings behind the Occupy Wall Street protests into political action.