Public unions like the Ohio Education Association care about only three things: jobs, children, and the middle class!
“Nothing is more essential than creating jobs and providing high quality educational opportunities for children. But our legislators are ignoring and short-changing these essential functions of state and local government and schools,” Frost-Brooks said.
Follow the above link to the OEA site, and you’ll find a wealth of stories about how awful Senate Bill 5 is – and how awful Ohio’s taxes aren’t. Did you know taxes in Ohio are fair and competitive, with corporations clamoring to live in the house Taft and Strickland built? It’s true; trust the OEA and union-funded leftist groups!
All the union talk of jobs and taxes is meant to obscure a simple fact: public unions get rich by increasing the cost of government. For every Solidarity Fist™ demanding higher taxes to “create jobs,” there’s an opposite hand in the cash drawer. Taxpayers foot the bill, but they aren’t the only ones! Imagine if you were a young dues-paying member of the Columbus Education Association or the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) and you saw this budget chart:
Last week I offered some suggestions for how Columbus City Schools could save money without firing anyone. As of 2010, 1,459 employees – over 17% of the district’s total – were paid $75,000 or more. How many of those folks are union members? What kind of sacrifices have CEA bosses asked the best-paid teachers and staff to make? Have union “leaders” led by example? Since the CEA marches to the OEA’s drum, we can make an educated guess:
What about the OAPSE, also known as American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 4? As an AFSCME local, those guys are all about solidarity:
Exit question: how many of the 30 union members on the chopping block at Columbus City Schools will get refunds from the OEA and AFSCME for all the dues they’ve paid?
Follow me on Twitter: @jasonahart
Cross-posted at that hero.