Thousands protest SB5; Daniels says he supports 'collective bargaining reform in some manner'
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
As thousands of Ohio residents turned out at the Statehouse Tuesday to
protest proposed collective bargaining reform, the Ohio State Highway Patrol restricted access to the building and hearings.
An estimated 4,000 people were around Capitol Square Tuesday, and the OSHP allowed approximately 750 people inside to view hearings on Senate Bill 5.
As previously reported in The Highland County Press, Sen. Shannon Jones (R-Springboro) introduced Senate Bill 5, which has the support of Gov. John Kasich, and would eliminate collective bargaining for certain state employees - including police officers, firefighters and
teachers, among others - and base future pay rates and increases on merit.
Ohio 17th District Sen. David Daniels (R-Greenfield) told The Highland County Press that he has been trying to listen to his constituents and search for a solution to the budget problem. Daniels said that Tuesday he worked on drafting an amendment to SB 5, and that he would "support collective bargaining reform in some manner," because "aspects of collective bargaining are hampering local officials and administrators to manage the workforce and contain costs." By helping them contain costs, Daniels said ultimately that will protect jobs.
The Bill has been introduced at a time when legislators are trying to close an $8 billion gap in funds in the state's two-year budget.
"It was a busy day," Daniels said. "We had a lot of people out voicing opposition to Senate Bill 5. It was kind of a hectic day. There was a large crowd, and I'm not saying that it was somewhat different than when we normally have a bill with this sort of impact going through. It was a little more than what we were used to seeing."
Daniels said he believes that the Statehouse belongs to the citizens of Ohio, but for practical purposes, sometimes crowds must be restricted in order for business to proceed.
"First of all, the Statehouse is open to every citizen of the state of
Ohio," Daniels said. "I agree with that. When we have a crowd, it's always kind of an individual situation. We're not exactly sure what happened. I think that the Highway Patrol has allowed fairly large crowds in the building to accommodate as many people as possible. My understanding is that there was an option to view the committee hearings at the Ohio Theater. But when it boils down to it, the Statehouse is just so big and you can't put 5,000 people in the committee rooms designed for 200 or 300 people. People were let in to view the hearings as long as they weren't disrupting the business taking place, because we are working in there. I can tell you I was working on drafting an amendment to Senate Bill 5, and people were banging on my windows, and it's just a little difficult to get work done that way."
Daniels said that he could not comment on the amendment he's drafting, but "I can say I've just been working through some processes with some people, to figure out what's going on. Some people think we can make a better bill, and I'm not the only office that is doing that. Almost everyone is talking to their constituents and working on it in some fashion. We're talking to as many people as we can get into our offices."
Supporting collective bargaining reform, Daniels said, will ultimately result in more funds for local governments to work with, which will preserve jobs.
"I have told people that I will support collective bargaining reform and work to find an agreed-upon position that we can work through with the bill's sponsored and interested parties," Daniels said. "If that process goes on, I am hopeful that at the end of the day, I will support collective bargaining reform in some manner."
With the state attempting to balance the budget, Daniels has previously said that local governments can expect significant cuts, and legislators are trying to provide tools to help them function with less funding.
"Eighty-five percent of funds flow back out to local governments," Daniels said. "A lot of the budget cuts that are going to be seen this year are going to impact local municipalities, local school districts, county commissions, and almost every facet of government in some form or another. I've heard it repeated time and time again that aspects of collective bargaining are hampering local officials and administrators to manage the workforce and contain costs. We're looking at an $8 billion budget hole, and we're trying to provide some solutions to those local governments, in some ways, to protect the workforce, to keep them employed. We hope that is the end result of this thing. I know not everyone believes that and not everyone feels that way, but that is my focus in this."
When addressing constituents who are in opposition of the bill, Daniels said he is asking for people to bring solutions and to keep participating in the process.
"We have sat down and talked to people, and some people come in with the standard, 'You can't do this,' and not offer up any solutions," Daniels said. "That is a position that is not going to get anyone very far.
"We're asking people to come up with concrete solutions to the problems we face. I encourage everyone to stay engaged in this process. We have tried to meet with people back in the district, and with as many people as we can in Columbus. I wish there were more hours in the day because we just can't meet with everybody. This is a process we're working through, and obviously it's gained a lot more attention than some bills coming through the legislature. We're looking for solutions to this problem to get where we need to be, not just for the Legislature, but for all Ohioans. We're going to get through this."
As thousands of Ohio residents turned out at the Statehouse Tuesday to protest proposed collective bargaining reform, the Ohio State Highway Patrol restricted access to the building and hearings.
An estimated 4,000 people were around Capitol Square Tuesday, and the OSHP allowed approximately 750 people inside to view hearings on Senate Bill 5.
As previously reported in The Highland County Press, Sen. Shannon Jones (R-Springboro) introduced Senate Bill 5, which has the support of Gov. John Kasich, and would eliminate collective bargaining for certain state employees - including police officers, firefighters and
teachers, among others - and base future pay rates and increases on merit.
Ohio 17th District Sen. David Daniels (R-Greenfield) told The Highland County Press that he has been trying to listen to his constituents and search for a solution to the budget problem. Daniels said that Tuesday he worked on drafting an amendment to SB 5, and that he would "support collective bargaining reform in some manner," because "aspects of collective bargaining are hampering local officials and administrators to manage the workforce and contain costs." By helping them contain costs, Daniels said ultimately that will protect jobs.
The Bill has been introduced at a time when legislators are trying to close an $8 billion gap in funds in the state's two-year budget.
"It was a busy day," Daniels said. "We had a lot of people out voicing opposition to Senate Bill 5. It was kind of a hectic day. There was a large crowd, and I'm not saying that it was somewhat different than when we normally have a bill with this sort of impact going through. It was a little more than what we were used to seeing."
Daniels said he believes that the Statehouse belongs to the citizens of Ohio, but for practical purposes, sometimes crowds must be restricted in order for business to proceed.
"First of all, the Statehouse is open to every citizen of the state of Ohio," Daniels said. "I agree with that. When we have a crowd, it's always kind of an individual situation. We're not exactly sure what happened. I think that the Highway Patrol has allowed fairly large crowds in the building to accommodate as many people as possible. My understanding is that there was an option to view the committee hearings at the Ohio Theater. But when it boils down to it, the Statehouse is just so big and you can't put 5,000 people in the committee rooms designed for 200 or 300 people. People were let in to view the hearings as long as they weren't disrupting the business taking place, because we are working in there. I can tell you I was working on drafting an amendment to Senate Bill 5, and people were banging on my windows, and it's just a little difficult to get work done that way."
Daniels said that he could not comment on the amendment he's drafting, but "I can say I've just been working through some processes with some people, to figure out what's going on. Some people think we can make a better bill, and I'm not the only office that is doing that. Almost everyone is talking to their constituents and working on it in some fashion. We're talking to as many people as we can get into our offices."
Supporting collective bargaining reform, Daniels said, will ultimately result in more funds for local governments to work with, which will preserve jobs.
"I have told people that I will support collective bargaining reform and work to find an agreed-upon pos ition that we can work through with the bill's sponsored and interested parties," Daniels said. "If that process goes on, I am hopeful that at the end of the day, I will support collective bargaining reform in some manner."
With the state attempting to balance the budget, Daniels has previously said that local governments can expect significant cuts, and legislators are trying to provide tools to help them function with less funding.
"Eighty-five percent of funds flow back out to local governments," Daniels said. "A lot of the budget cuts that are going to be seen this year are going to impact local municipalities, local school districts, county commissions, and almost every facet of government in some form or another. I've heard it repeated time and time again that aspects of collective bargaining are hampering local officials and administrators to manage the workforce and contain costs. We're looking at an $8 billion budget hole, and we're trying to provide some solutions to those local governments, in some ways, to protect the workforce, to keep them employed. We hope that is the end result of this thing. I know not everyone believes that and not everyone feels that way, but that is my focus in this."
When addressing constituents who are in opposition of the bill, Daniels said he is asking for people to bring solutions and to keep participating in the process.
"We have sat down and talked to people, and some people come in with the standard, 'You can't do this,' and not offer up any solutions," Daniels said. "That is a position that is not going to get anyone very far.
"We're asking people to come up with concrete solutions to the problems we face. I encourage everyone to stay engaged in this process. We have tried to meet with people back in the district, and with as many people as we can in Columbus. I wish there were more hours in the day because we just can't meet with everybody. This is a process we're working through, and obviously it's gained a lot more attention than some bills coming through the legislature. We're looking for solutions to this problem to get where we need to be, not just for the Legislature, but for all Ohioans. We're going to get through this."
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