Speeches

STATE WAC CONFERENCE
May 19 - 21, 2006
DEALING WITH LIFE’S UP AND DOWNS

Prepared Remarks of
RONALD C. ALEXANDER
OCSEA President

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Welcome, sisters and brothers, to this year’s OCSEA Women’s Action Committee Conference! I welcome you to the Sawmill Creek resort.
I hope you enjoy your time here and I hope you get a chance to take advantage of all that this beautiful facility has to offer.

first off, I want to say thank you to WAC chairwoman Kathy Stewart, the members of the WAC committee, and the OCSEA staff for the outstanding job they’ve done in pulling together this tremendous conference. They’ve all worked so hard. Please, let’s give them all a round of applause.

I also want to thank the speakers and presenters who are here with us this weekend. your insight is greatly appreciated and we look forward to all that you have to share with us. WELCOME!
the theme of this year’s conference is, “dealing with life’s ups and downs.” And, boy, have we…as state employees…had our fair share of ups and downs over the past… sixteen years.

But, really…who’s been counting? Have You been counting? How about you?I know you’ve been counting
and I know I’ve been counting and that’s why I’m here to say: this nearly two decades of republican stronghold has cost state employees way too much and has got to end NOW.

We all know how it’s gone down. collective bargaining attacks, FACILITY Closures, LAYOFFS, and THREATS TO CIVIL SERVICE and pensions. and Now, there’s a black cloud over our heads and the good work we do…thanks to an administration filled with ethics violations and incompetence.

It’s been one hell of a rollercoaster ride…but it’s finally time to get the hell off.

Taft, Petro and Blackwell. They’re all a part of this dysfunctional administration. Don’t let them tell you any different.

the three amigos have a lot in common.
for instance, all of them received hefty campaign contributions from coin thief and republican fundraiser tom noe. together, they’ve all run the state of ohio into the ground. we’re number two in job loss and have three times the national average in foreclosures.

Blackwell is so much like taft, some are calling him “ken taft-well.” in fact, they like each other so much, taft has already endorsed blackwell and blackwell happily accepted it. That’s not an endorsement I’d want.

no, don’t let them tell you that one is different from another or that blackwell stands for a change. that’s what we heard during the primary. they’re not different.
The only difference between blackwell and the taft administration is how much worse he is than them…if that’s possible.

here is something different…and frightening… about blackwell though: He’s proposed the TEL amendment, also known as The “tax payer’s bill of rights” or tabor.
He says it will cut taxes for Ohioans. but it won’t. he’s says it will solve Ohio’s jobS problems. But it won’t. he says it will make politicians accountable to the voters. but it won’t.

But What it will do is makE Ohio last in everything…just like it did with colorado.

we saw how the same initiative destroyed the state of Colorado. They went from being a prosperous state, a booming state, to a state that’s now last in high school graduation rates and last in childhood immunization.

And who will feel the pain here in Ohio if the dangerous TEL is enacted? You will. That’s right. women, children, and the hard working families of this great state.

Heck, even some in Blackwell’s own republican party are scared of what this amendment could do to ohio.

And get this…here’s the kicker.
Even blackwell no longer stands behind his amendment, Due mostly in part to pressure from within his own party.
In fact, he and the GOP are busy trying to take the proposal off the ballot. But they’re making a deal with the devil. Though lawmakers will scrap the ballot proposal, they plan to put similar language in a bill next week. And get this. Although the bill exempts caps on local government spending, it’ll still put a harsh cap on state spending.

No Deal.

THat’s why we’ve got to defeat KEN BLACKWELL in november and any version of his tel…before this flip flopper makes us last in everything.

The time, sisters and Brothers, to take back Ohio is now. And We must forge ahead today.

We have no choice. We have to vote in candidates who will fight for us, fight for our values and fight for our jobs.

but we must also fight for them. But how will we get there? What road will we take?

Women are a powerful force to be reckoned with and I believe it is the women of Ohio who can and will lead this brigade. I believe It is the working women of Ohio who WILL forge ahead this fall to take back Ohio, that the women of Ohio will make the election of An honest, hard-working, former state employee, not only a possibility, but a probability. And that person is none other than our friend TED STRICKLAND.

One way you can support candidates who support you is by participating in our people PAC.
 
WE kicked off the “I’m 100 percent for people” campaign At our convention this past fall. many of you were there. that week we challenged all districts to get 100 percent of their delegates signed up for people. although not every district met the 100 percent goal, we are proud to say that all districts increased their participation. and Three Districts met the 100 percent goal. And Several were extremely close.

we’ve made the same challenge At all the conferences since convention. At CMCA there were 52 attendees who signed up for PEOPLE or increased their contribution. and AT Building union power there were 54.

and today I challenge you all to sign up for people or increase your contribution and let’s beat our record. Currently 70 percent of you are people contributors.
That’s why our goal by the end of the weekend is what? say it with me. 100 percent for people!
100 percent for people!
100 percent for people!
100 percent for people!
100 percent for people!

Sisters and brothers, keep up the good fight. This battle will be filled with many ups and downs. But in the end I believe we will be on top.

I appropriately end my remarks today with a quote by the man who, for the next eight years, will turnaround Ohio for every woman, man and child.
Ted Strickland said it best in the late 90’s when he said “Our challenge is to move into this next century fueled by the gifts our history has given us.”

And history has taught us a lot, brothers and sisters and now it is our turn to make our move.

If OCSEA is to remain vital and relevant – not only to existing members but to future ones – we have to support candidates who support women, families and hard-working people.
and it’s The women of OCSEA who will help make that happen.

Thank you, and enjoy your weekend.

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