Kucinich Urges Support for Referendum to Repeal Senate Bill 5

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a powerful advocate for workers' rights and member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, is speaking with constituents and urging active opposition Ohio's Senate Bill 5 (SB5).

SB5 will face a voter referendum on November 8th. A NO vote on Issue 2 would repeal the law.

"SB5 is a direct assault on the right of workers to bargain collectively, one of the most fundamental rights that American workers have. SB5 was rushed through the legislature under the guise of fiscal responsibility but we now know that move was nothing more than a scheme to defraud both workers and the taxpayers.

"SB5's key provisions take away the right to strike, open the door for replacement workers and set the stage for privatization of services. Wages and benefits for workers will be cut, restricting consumer demand. Inevitably the state will move toward privatization, which has resulted in taxpayers paying more and getting less time and time again.

"The right to collective bargaining, to be able to negotiate wages, benefits and working conditions is a basic right in a democratic society. The attempt to restrict those rights is anti-democratic," said Kucinich. "I urge all Ohioans to stand up to this attack on workers by exercising their democratic rights at the polls this November."

Congressman Kucinich has led the opposition to SB5. He has spoken out repeatedly and supported rallies in Columbus and all over Ohio. He has long-been an effective opponent of outsourcing and he has strongly spoken out against SB5 on the House Floor. In March, Kucinich was invited to speak to workers in Wisconsin where he rallied opposition to a similar bill. In April, Congressman Kucinich forced Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to admit before a Congressional hearing that a similar measure passed in Wisconsin under the guise of "budget cutting" in fact did not save the state any money.