11.08.11

Miller: Ohio Voters Send Clear Message to Washington GOP

 

WASHINGTON – Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after Ohio voters today overwhelmingly rejected an effort to severely curtail the collective bargaining rights of public-sector workers.

“Voters in Ohio sent a clear message tonight: It’s time for Republicans to end their single-minded obsession with busting unions. For far too long, Republicans have chosen to ignore our nation’s economic problems and instead engage in a special-interest war on workers. These attacks do nothing to create jobs, nothing to ensure that qualified small businesses have access to credit they need to expand, and nothing to hold China accountable for their unfair trade practices.

“Unfortunately, House Republicans in D.C. are angling to override what the people of Ohio and other states are saying. Their next expected move is a bill to stop workers from voting in workplace elections. 

“The good news is that it is not too late for Republicans in Washington to heed the message sent by voters in Ohio today. It’s well past time to join Democrats and work together to create jobs and create them now.”

Today’s vote comes a week before the House may vote on legislation (H.R. 3094) designed to deny private-sector workers a right to a free and fair election, more aptly named the “Election Prevention Act.” The bill was pushed through the Education and the Workforce Committee last month on a party-line vote and comes after Republicans made it easier to ship existing jobs overseas, with a bill known as the “Job Outsourcers’ Bill of Rights.”

For more information on the “Election Prevention Act,” click here