Others that support the deal complain that public workers' salaries and benefit packages have become out of line with those in the private sector. That comes at the expense of the taxpayer, they believe and the burden on taxpayers is putting a drain on the economy, they say.
"The more we pass it off, the more my generation has to deal with it. I'm looking to get into the job market after I graduate college. If this doesn't get fixed, we're going to see jobs leave the state, and maybe me with them," said Andrew Sherboska, a 20-year-old student studying political science and history.
But that view was held by very few on the Statehouse lawn. The vast majority of the crowd of over 1,000 were decidedly against the bill.
Greg Bizzarri, a retied teacher from St. Clairsville, Ohio, said the scene was reminiscent of 1983, when Democratic Gov. Dick Celeste awarded public sector workers with the right to organize and bargain collectively.
"I was around when Dick Celeste signed the collective bargaining bill. I came up and lobbied on the bill. I don't want to see the state take a step back 30 or 40 years," he said.
"When it passed, they thought the sky was going to fall. The sky didn't fall."
In fact, things have actually improved since that time. Bizzarri said he can remember times before collective bargaining when public employees would engage in illegal wildcat strikes that would disrupt school and safety services. In those days, there were about 60 to 70 of those strikes each year. In the past 12 months, there have been just two strikes among public sector unions, he said.
"When you have a collective bargaining agreement, everyone knows what's expected of the other side," he said. "They sit down mutually, talk and agree to disagree."
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
