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By Fran Tobin, on March 30th, 2011
The Ohio House today voted 53-44 to pass SB5, which will undo 30 years of collective bargaining rights.  Update: The Ohio Senate passed the bill 17-16 and Governor Kasich will reportedly sign it into law on Friday. The bill, passed despite massive protests and wide-spread public opposition, is likely to be subject of a “people’s veto” referendum — under Ohio law, a bill can be repealed by popular vote if hundreds of thousands of petitions are collected to put it on the ballot.
Republican leaders in Ohio are following the corporate script of trying to blame teachers, firefighters, other public service workers and organized labor for budget shortfalls that were actually created by a combination of the Wall-Street-driven recession and tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations.
Ohio JwJ coalitions are preparing to continue the struggle for Good Jobs and Strong Communities, including ”We Are One” events on April 4, Teach-Ins on the roots of this crisis, petition training sessions, a May 5 rally at the statehouse, national Jobs with Justice conference August 5-7 and more.
By Fran Tobin, on March 16th, 2011
 Nearly 10,000 people rallied in 14 cities across Ohio, standing up for Good Jobs and Strong Communities. Jobs with Justice coalitions were lead organizers of rallies outside of Cleveland and Columbus, and mobilized to actions near Toledo, Dayton, Mansfield, Akron and Cincinnati.
In Cleveland, more than 1,500 persons withstood the rain to hear JwJ Religious co-chair Rev. Bob Strommen denounce the greed of “Big Money” and call us to live by shared values. Teachers, firefighters and a small businessman and local Catholic priest also spoke against the threats of Governor Kasich’s slash and burn budget and elimination of collective bargaining rights.
After the formal program ended, hundreds of people stuck around in the pouring rain lining Strongsville’s Royalton and Pearl Roads, waving signs and chanting as cars honked horns in support.
Columbus JwJ organized a rally in Gov. Kasich’s home suburb of Westerville. More than 1,500 persons learned more about the causes of the OH budget shortfall (hint: it was not workers) and marched to Kasich’s home.
 JwJ coalitions in other states also held rallies, in
Continue reading Ohio Stands for Good Jobs, Strong Communities
By jwjnational, on March 9th, 2011
Though millions of Americans are out of jobs, corporate-funded politicians are attacking worker rights and slashing public services, instead of addressing the jobs deficit.
Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio are the frontlines today, but the corporate agenda is spreading across the country and into the halls of Congress in Washington, DC.
Now is the time to join the fight for Full and Fair Employment, quality public education, good jobs, strong communities, advanced manufacturing, a green economy and … the American Dream! On March 15, 2011, people will rally to support public services and the workers that deliver them, and stand united against the anti-worker, anti-community agenda being pushed in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and elsewhere.
Workers, community, faith, and students will also be coming together to take action on April 4, 2011. Stay tuned for more details.
March 15 Rallies
Last Update: March 14, 2011 at 2:30pm
CA, Irvine, 5:30 PM, Culver and Alton NY, New Lebanon, 5:30 PM, New Lebanon Library 550 State Route 20 NY, New York, 5:30 PM, Union Square, Northwest Corner OH, Akron, 4:30 PM, 720 Wolf Ledges OH, Ashtabula, 5:00 PM, Jefferson Village – County Seat – St. Rt 46 $
Continue reading Rally for All Workers on March 15!
By jwjnational, on March 7th, 2011
Jobs with Justice coalitions and partner groups are taking action for Good Jobs and Strong Communities, across Ohio and the nation.
Take Action the next Two Tuesdays:
Tuesday, March 8, 11:30am – 1:00pm in Columbus West lawn of the Statehouse Rally in response to the Kasich “State of the State” address
Tuesday, March 15 – in cities across Ohio Coalition partners are leading actions in a dozen cities across the state to preserve the middle class and Stand Up for Good Jobs and Strong Communities.
Click here for more info or to sign up to BE THERE!
By Allison Fletcher Acosta, on February 22nd, 2011
 The stories of worker solidarity across the country are breaking on a daily minute-by-minute basis! Here’s a quick update:
INDIANA
Central Indiana JwJ organized a sit-in at the Statehouse today to protest the Right to Work bill that passed out of committee yesterday. The sit-in was suspended when word came that Democrats had left the Statehouse in order to block the bill was moving forward.
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Star reports that Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels “signaled this afternoon that Republicans should drop the right-to-work bill that has brought the Indiana House to a standstill for two days and imperiled other measures.” Mitch isn’t the only Governor who’s worried about the people power on display from workers and community across the midwest – Republican Governors Rick Scott of Florida and Rick Snyder of Michigan also went on the record to say their states should continue to support collective bargaining rights for public workers.
OHIO
An estimated 10,000-15,000 people are rallying right now against SB5, the bill that would ban collective bargaining for public workers, after
Continue reading Sit-In in Indiana, Huge Protest in Ohio, and more!
By Debbie Kline, on November 3rd, 2009
Debbie Kline is Coordinator of Cleveland Jobs with Justice.
 Unless you are a real news junkie and read the Business Section of your local newspaper or know one of the former employees, this is one story you may have missed.
InkStop was a chain of 152 convenience stores for office supplies that stocked ink cartridges and small electronics. The stores were located in small plazas in communities where big box office supply stores did not exist. InkStop owner Dirk Kettlewell boasted that the chain would be profitable by the end of this year by using over $80 million from private investors. This was supposed to be the “Sleeping Beauty” business story of the decade, but instead it turned into something that rivals “Psycho.”
The first blow came when all 152 InkStop stores were closed without warning on October 1st. It was business as usual earlier in the day. As the doors were locked for the night, the devastating news came via a faxed and emailed letter to employees to tell them: No more jobs and no pay for the last three weeks of work.
Continue reading InkStop Stores Dry Up, Owing Workers Pay and Health Care
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Update: The Ohio Senate passed the bill 17-16 and Governor Kasich will reportedly sign it into law on Friday. The bill, passed despite massive protests and wide-spread public opposition, is likely to be subject of a “people’s veto” referendum — under Ohio law, a bill can be repealed by popular vote if hundreds of thousands of petitions are collected to put it on the ballot.
