Area Teachers — Including Some From Lakewood — Speak Out Against Senate Bill 5

Nearly in a steady, cold rain Tuesday to rally against Senate Bill 5 — one of 13 such protests held simultaneously throughout Ohio.  

Mixed into the crowd were teachers, firefighters and lots of other public service workers.

Wynne Antonio, a retired teacher from Lakewood, attended the demonstration to rally against the bill.

“We’re in a fight for our lives for the working class, and I’m just amazed at how many people really get it that our whole economy is on the line," she said. "However, Senate Bill 5 is not the answer because it affects working conditions for teachers, which directly affects students.

"We have caps by collective bargaining on how many students are in a class so that we can do an adequate job, and with no caps we’ll be back to having over 40 students per class and that’s simply unacceptable.”

Protesters on the City Commons chanted "Kill the bill" and held signs reading "Workers' rights are human rights" and "It's about freedom" for passing motorists on routes 42 and 82 to see.

People came from all over Northeast Ohio, including representatives from Brecksville, Lakewood, Westlake, Avon, Avon Lake, Cleveland Heights, Beachwood, Mayfield and dozens of other communities.  took place simultaneously in Akron.

Latrice Tramble, a teacher in the Cleveland Schools, said she worries that if the controversial bill passes there will be fewer teachers, which would "shrink the talent pool."

"It’s awful because what will happen to our students who will suffer in the long run?," Tramble asked. "This bill is not the means to an end to fix the deficit. If it starts with us now, then who’s next? There are no winners here, particularly when it comes to students, families and the middle class.”

Stand Up for Good Jobs and Strong Communities, which calls itself a a coalition of faith, community, student, labor and civil rights, organized the 13 regional protests to send a loud message to state lawmakers, who appear poised to pass the controversial bill limiting employee bargaining rights.

"We hope this creates a bigger impact," said Debbie Kline, coordinator of Cleveland Jobs with Justice, which helped organize the Strongsville rally along with North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor. "This will help build the momentum and excitement."

Senate Bill 5, which  passed the Ohio Senate by one vote and is awaiting action in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, would severely limit collective bargaining abilities, banning strikes and establishing penalties for those who participate in walkouts.

While unionized workers could negotiate their wages, hours and some working conditions, they could no longer bargain for health care, pension benefits or sick time. 

The measure would eliminate automatic pay raises and base wage hikes on merit.

The legislation also would set up a new process to settle employee disputes, giving elected officials the final say in contract disagreements. Binding arbitration, which police officers and firefighters use to resolve contract disputes as an alternative to strikes, would be eliminated.

Harriet Applegate, executive director of North Shore AFL-CIO, urged the crowd to call their state representatives and demand they vote against the bill.

 She said Strongsville was chosen for one of the rallies because it represents middle-class America.

"It's a typical suburb where people work hard and pay their taxes," Applegate said.

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