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"We Are Ohio" to Kick off Referendum Rally on Saturday!

CWA Local 4502 is networking with other International Unions in a full referendum campaign to repeal SB 5. Our next step is to generate a HUGE presence at the "We are Ohio" rally on Saturday, April 9, 2011. The event is earmarked as a sign of solidarity and strength. To show those conservative politicians in the Statehouse, who shamefully adjusted appointments in the Senatein order to pass the job killing legislation, that they have overstepped their authority and the boundries of what is just! If you haven't gotten involved yet, the time is NOW! The middle class in Ohio is under attack, and the rights of an entire sector are in jeopardy.

Local 4502 has done much with little. Only one Board member, Cindy Craig, has stepped up on your behalf and participated in the rallys and other mobilzation efforts. A handful of members have offered help along the way, and though appreciated, it shows how reckless with our freedoms and protections our generation has become. President Bellous and VP McCune have worked tirelessly on the campaign since January of this year and have partenered with Locals from as far away as Michigan. President Bellous was recognized by CWA International recently for his efforts in to the campaign. Many more things need done, and we need you to step and be heard....

Click here for the "We Are Ohio Flyer" announcing Saturday's event. Make sure to print from a personal computer and post on the CWA bulletin boards in your work areas. Mark Stansbery has been appointed by President Bellous to lead the mobilization efforts for Local 4502 and will be a point of contact for information and volunteer efforts. Mark has long been involved in social justice issues and is the perfect person for this job! More to come on this appointment.... Below is information from AFL-CIO on what this referendum means to us and how we can get involved.

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On March 30, Republicans who sided with Governor John Kasich and his out-of-state corporate CEO allies passed Senate Bill 5. The Governor signed the bill March 31. But the fight is not over! Middle class Ohioans across the state know this is a jobs-killing bill that does nothing to balance the budget or create one job, but rather is a giveaway to big corporations who want to profit off our communities. We can show Gov. Kasich and those who support him and this Bill that Ohio is ready for good jobs, not community destruction.

In November, 2011 we intend to put this Bill on the ballot and let the people of Ohio decide. We know the people want the Governor and all elected officials to work to create good, middle class jobs for Ohio. And by working together and defeating this Bill, we can send a strong message that these giveaways to the rich are not what is best for Ohio. Here are a few bullet points about a referendum campaign.

SB 5 Referendum Facts:
231,149 - Signatures needed to place a referendum of the law on the ballot.

1,000 - Number of signatures needed for petition language to be approved by the Attorney General and Secretary of State, before additional petitions can be circulated.

44 - Minimum number of different counties where the petition signatures need to be collected.

April 6, 2011 - Last day for the law to be passed and filed with the Secretary of State in order to be placed on the Nov 2011 ballot, rather than the Nov 2012 ballot.

July 5, 2011 - Final date for signatures if SB 5 is signed and filed with the Secretary of State by April 6. (We will have 90 days to collect signatures.)

July 26, 2011 - Final day by which the Secretary of State must determine if there are enough valid signatures to place the referendum on the ballot.

91 - If no referendum petition is filed, SB 5 goes into effect 91 days after it was signed and filed with the SOS. If a referendum is filed, the law does not go into effect until and unless Ohioans vote to allow the bill to become law.

5 - Number of members on the Ohio Ballot Board who determine ballot language once the referendum petition is accepted. The Board includes the SOS, one R and one D from the House, one R and one D from the Senate.

Again, to get involved in this fight to save Ohio's middle class and to restore democracy to Ohio, make sure you are there on the 9th!! Ohio Statehouse....be there or beware!

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