Congresswoman Laura Richardson Commends the Repeal of Anti-Public Sector Employees Legislation by Ohio Voters

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the voters of Ohio for standing up for working people in their state and across the country. On Tuesday, November 8, Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected another Republican attempt to infringe on the rights of working people and sent a strong signal to the House Republican leadership to get serious about addressing the jobs crisis in America.

In a landslide victory for the rights of working people, Ohio voters overwhelmingly repealed S.B. 5, a measure passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature in March. S.B. 5 would have severely limited the ability of public employees to collectively bargain by, among other things, revoking their ability of to strike. Tuesday's vote is but the latest rejection of Republican efforts to protect the top one percent at the expense of the bottom 99 percent.

Ohio voters spoke loudly on behalf of everyday Americans across the country and strong opposition to Republican efforts to balance the budget on the backs of working people. Firefighters, police officers, teachers and other public employees did not cause the financial meltdown or the recession. They do, however, serve and enrich our communities every day by educating our kids, protecting our homes, our businesses and our people. Republican attempts to limit the collective bargaining rights of public employees--including their right to strike--represent how out of touch their agenda is with the American people.

Over the past year, the House Republican leadership has repeatedly attempted to roll back the hard won gains of working people. I have consistently opposed these efforts and will continue to do so. Working people, including public sector employees, are the backbone of society. They deserve a decent wage, access to quality healthcare and the peace of mind that they will have a stable pension benefit as they head into retirement.

In contrast, the American people are embracing President Obama's American Jobs Act, which is supported by wide margins. The American Jobs Act provides relief to state governments facing budgetary shortfalls. The President's plan, which I strongly support, would prevent layoffs and encourage hiring of teachers, firefighters, and police officers by investing $35 billion into state and local governments. That is why it is imperative that house Republican leadership bring the President's jobs bill to the floor for a vote.

Mr. Speaker, the American people are tired of being unfairly punished for an economic recession caused by he irresponsible and reckless conduct of some of those on Wall Street. I call upon the House Republican leadership to abandon efforts to protect Wall Street at all costs by punishing Main Street at every turn. It is time for the House leadership to compromise with Democrats and President Obama and adopt policies that will put people back to work and help our economy grow.