For more than a week, community activists, union members, students and faith leaders have gathered around the State Capitol in Columbus, Ohio to protest Governor John Kasich's plan, Senate Bill 5, which would repeal collective bargaining rights for more than 300,000 state workers.
Today, the rally reached its fever pitch, with over 25,000 people turning out to protest against attacks on working families.
"Things will be forever changed if we don't stand up to fight this," said SEIU District 1199 WV/KY/OH member Karen Ferguson. "We want to help fix the budget - this does nothing but bust unions. I'm a middle class individual and I'm seeing the middle class disappear. We have to fight this."
SEIU District 1199 streamed the event live from the West Lawn of the Ohio Statehouse. Speakers at the rally included SEIU members Teresa Law, a home healthcare worker; Tom Guyer, a parole officer; and Lynn Radcliffe, a Cleveland Metropolitan School District support staffer.
Tomorrow, the action in Ohio will continue to heat up. The Senate Committee is set to have a meeting in the morning at 10 a.m. to discuss - and likely vote on - Senate Bill 5. SEIU members and other Ohio workers will be gathering at the Statehouse throughout the day and holding a vigil there at 4:00 p.m. Stay tuned to http://fightforafaireconomy.org as more details emerge.
Here are a few pictures from today's massive rally.
For live updates on Wednesday, follow @SEIU and @SEIU1199wvkyoh on Twitter.
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