Ohioans Rally for Workers' Rights, Good Jobs and Strong Communities

CWA members helped plan rallies in Cincinnati and a dozen other cities and small towns across Ohio on Tuesday, drawing more than 10,000 demonstrators statewide.

Fighting for good jobs and strong communities, CWA members and thousands of allies turned out in pouring rain across Ohio on Tuesday to condemn attacks on public workers' collective bargaining rights and Gov. John Kasich's deep budget cuts targeting schools, cities and essential services.

More than 10,000 people demonstrated in 13 small towns and big cities, events that were coordinated by a new coalition that CWA helped create, "Stand Up for Ohio: Good Jobs and Strong Communities."

About 2,000 people, including youngsters, rallied in Strongsville.

The public's anger is further reflected in new poll numbers. Kasich was elected last November, but if the vote were held today, polls show that his opponent, Democrat and former Gov. Ted Strickland would win handily. Further, 54 percent of respondents say they’d vote to repeal the union-busting Senate Bill 5, with just 31 percent saying they'd vote to keep it.

Tuesday's events included 1,500 people marching to Kasich's home in Westerville, near the capital of Columbus. The crowd chanted and sang, although Kasich wasn't there to listen.

In rural Jefferson, Ohio, a speaker from the Ashtabula Farmers Union addressed a crowd of 300, describing a century of farmers supporting workers' collective bargaining rights. A local history teacher described historic strikes and protests that cost some workers their lives as they fought for rights that now are under assault again.

In the Cleveland suburb of Strongsville, 2,000 people heard a wide variety of speakers, sang songs of solidarity and waved signs at a major intersection.

"The fights faced by workers in Ohio and the Midwest can't be won by union members alone," CWA District 4 Vice President Seth Rosen said. "We need a broad alliance of unions, community organizations faith groups and other groups standing up for each other's fights. These events in Ohio are an exciting start to building a broad movement."