Association Leaders,
By now, you may have already read the details of SB 5. If anyone had any question at all as to the intentions of the Republican Party they should not have any after seeing these details. I have attached copies of the entire SB5 for you to share with your members along with the testimony of the sponsor for SB5. That being said, now is when the hard work and grassroots effort starts. I am asking each of you personally, over the next days, weeks and months, to please assist each other, leaders, members, retirees and the communities we live in work in to understand how this bill will impact education, children, our jobs and finally our communities. We are in this together and only together can we overcome this attack. This is not a policy debate, they plan on doing permanent injury. The 500+ page bill hits almost every issue we stand for and hold dear--issues that took folks years and personal sacrifice to obtain. Let’s be clear, as I sit here typing, I believe they have the votes...but we have the people and the heart. Folks that came before us sacrificed to get 4117 we can do the same to keep it. We have to lobby and create activism on a scale we have never seen before. That being said, a lot of information will be coming at you in the next few days, weeks and months. We have to make sure every member understands the harm this bill will cause and then translate that into action and conversation with others. We may have to translate this in ways that makes it very personal for folks to get them geared up. Some things I can share with you right now:
We are working with a coalition group, Good Jobs Strong Communities, made up of community, labor, civil rights and environmental groups is coming together for the purpose of being an umbrella organization to organize major street demonstrations and events as well as increase public awareness collectively surrounding the many issues member organizations are working on.
Two dates to put in your calendar and to start letting folks know about:
March 15th at 5:00 p.m.--10-12 sites around the state will be targeted for mobilization of labor, community, civil rights and environmental groups. This is the day we expect the budget bill (more good news, right). We will host at least two of these events. As soon as we know which two and the locations of the others, I will let you know.
May 5th at 5:00 p.m. Large scale mobilization event in Columbus. We are hoping this will make history---also, this is the Thursday around the RA so folks should be in Columbus.
OEA Educator Lobby Days in Columbus:
March 29th, April 5, April 12, May 10, May 24th, June 7th, June 14th and June 21st.
OEA Educator Lobby Days in the Regions. TBD
Presidents' Day Weekend--Targeted for in-district meetings for State Senators.
Commitment Cards--incorporate the ask in every conversation you have. Talk about SB 5 and ask them to commit to helping defeat this bill. They can sign up through you (cards are attached) or through http://aces.ohea.org/site/PageServer. You can email, fax or mail the commitment cards to me but either way I need them ASAP. I would suggest maybe having your building representatives conduct 10 minute meetings to review this information and collect commitment cards at that time.
In closing, I would also like to say that difficult times lay ahead for all of us. This is the time that we need to communicate and work collectively more than ever. This rests on all our shoulders and together, I believe we can do this.
Yours In Union,
Jeff Nolasco
Commitment to Public Educa~1.pdf (29 KB)
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