Hoffa: 'We Will Fight On In Ohio'

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International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Mar 03, 2011, 03:56 ET

Teamsters General President Outraged at Passage of SB 5

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today said he is outraged at the passage of Ohio's Senate Bill 5 by a vote of 17-16. The bill is part of a nationwide coordinated war on working families by politicians paying back billionaires and CEOs who funded their campaigns.

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"The senators who voted for this bill should be ashamed of themselves," Hoffa said. "Politicians should be working to create jobs, not destroy middle-class protections.

"This bill goes too far. It doesn't create a single job and it punishes workers who are essential to the functioning of our communities, including nurses who fight for patient safety, firefighters who run into burning buildings and snowplow drivers who work long hours to clear our streets."

SB 5 would nearly eliminate collective bargaining for government workers. It includes provisions to ban strikes by public workers, remove binding arbitration and eliminate union negotiations over health care and other benefits. The bill is slated to go to the Ohio House for a vote, and if it passes, will reach the desk of Gov. John Kasich, who supports the measure.

"We will fight on in Ohio against corporate-backed politicians who are waging war against workers," Hoffa said. "These attacks in Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana and throughout the country are reviving the labor movement and bringing Americans together in a way we haven't seen in many, many years.

"We will pursue every avenue possible to defeat this bill and to protect working families," Hoffa said. "We are not giving up this fight."

Hoffa and Teamsters throughout the country have been active in fighting back against the coordinated war on workers. For more information, visit: www.teamster.org or www.stopthewaronworkers.com.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters