Efforts in Ohio paid off

RTCers Sheila Dubowsky (second from left) and Judith McGowan (fourth from left) with volunteers from other states in Ohio.

We did it in Ohio! Voters in Ohio on Nov. 8 decisively rejected anti-union Senate Bill 5.

All the RTC Ohio volunteers and the entire labor movement are celebrating this astounding victory for workers’ rights.

When UFT President Michael Mulgrew turned to us — his Daytime Union — for more help in Ohio because of a last-minute infusion of massive amounts of right-wing money, the RTC came through.

We sent 15 more in-service and retiree volunteers for a final weekend surge in addition to the 10 who were there already.

Senate Bill 5 has been a part of a national strategy to chip away at collective-bargaining rights, piece by piece, law by law, until unions are destroyed. That’s why we are so grateful to our volunteers who worked so hard to protect all workers’ rights and won.

I asked them in the days leading up to Election Day to tell you what it was like:

Betty Gottfried: Working with volunteers from all over the country gives me a real sense of connection to the working class. The mission is very focused and the goal very clear — repeal Senate Bill 5.

It is encouraging to see so many young people actively engaged in this effort. I have been working with a young man from the California State Teachers Association, contacting people who are potential “no” voters, the position we want them to take. Several have expressed confusion over the issue, which is not surprising because the opposition has been running an ad on TV that very cleverly distorts the issue.

So what else is new?

Much to my surprise, I enjoy the door knocking very much. We have been working in what seems to be working-class neighborhoods of small homeowners. Everyone we spoke to was supporting a “no” vote; others asked us pointed questions which helped us explain the issue.

It’s discouraging to see the number of foreclosures or empty lots for which we had an address. One passer-by told us that a three-bedroom house on that block was sold for $3,500.

As Election Day approaches, the focus will turn more aggressively to getting the voters to the polls.

Barbara Waldmann: I have been inspired, energized and humbled by the amazing cooperative spirit of this disparate group of unions that have come together to save the right to bargain collectively in Ohio. Auto and steel workers, bakers, teamsters, the 15 building trades, and all of the public unions are working to defeat Senate Bill 5.

Earlier this year, “We Are Ohio” collected 1.3 million signatures to force a recall of Senate Bill 5 that was rammed through the Legislature. This morning’s Quinnipiac poll shows that our hard work is paying off, with a 57-to-32 percent edge in our favor.

I’m working alongside teachers from Alaska, California, Kansas and Mississippi to man phone banks, train and organize workers and volunteers, and canvass neighborhoods. With my new friend, Sara Howard of the AFT in Jackson, Miss., I’ve visited union households in buildings with abandoned apartments to homes in a beautiful enclave that edges Lake Erie.

Toledo teachers joined other municipal laborers to make phone calls to union members and their families in support of workers’ rights and public safety.

Because of the poisonous political climate, this June saw 300 out of 1,700 Toledo teachers retire!

I’ve visited schools to speak to the faculty about the impact the legislation would have on them professionally and personally.

More reinforcements from New York are scheduled to arrive soon to continue this important work, not only for Ohio workers, but for the entire nation.

Thanks for this great opportunity.

Winston Silvera and Ed Johnson: Great things are happening here in Ohio. The people are responsive to our visits, literature and phone calls. We have a wonderful task force of volunteers from the AFT, Ohio Teamsters, AFL-CIO union members, local Toledo Federation of Teachers members and the UFT.

Randi Weingarten was here on Oct. 30 and spoke at our rally in Cleveland. We also attended an interview and taping of Ed Schultz’s MSNBC show in Columbus.

Beatriz Roman: RTC members are working with the Cleveland Teachers’ Union and doing a fantastic job in the fight to protect collective-bargaining rights. At a solidarity meeting yesterday, more than 700 union members from diverse fields showed up before going out to canvass. Randi Weingarten was the keynote speaker.

It was quite wonderful.