In the fight against government union reform in Ohio, the Ohio Education Association (OEA) is the largest donor by a landslide. Ohio’s NEA affiliate charged every member $54 to help kill Senate Bill 5, and they’ve dumped $5.8 million into a $30.5 million campaign whose message is equal parts simple and dishonest:
Vote NO on Issue 2 on November 8th to help repeal Senate Bill 5, the unfair attack on employee rights and worker safety in Ohio.
The unions are too busy beating this drum to offer any evidence reform is an attack on workers that makes them less safe; the only reason to vote against Issue 2 is because the unions demand it. Since OEA has given more to the anti-reform effort than anyone, let’s see if OEA deserves Ohio’s trust!
Government unions have a straightforward business model: using money from members’ paychecks, lobby for endless tax increases and convince workers that only the union cares. From a taxpayer’s perspective this is bad enough, but OEA takes it one step further. The union pays itself big bucks to demonize Ohio’s elected officials and job creators.
| Larry Wicks, Executive Director |
$210,858 |
| Patricia Frost-Brooks, President |
$190,000 |
| Doug Crawford, Labor Relations Consultant |
$189,832 |
| Cecilia Weldon, Labor Relations Consultant |
$187,405 |
| Bill Leibensperger, Vice President |
$186,471 |
| James Martin, Assistant Executive Director, Business Services |
$171,528 |
| Kevin Flanagan, Assistant Executive Director, Member Services – Field |
$169,761 |
| Michael McEachern, Labor Relations Consultant |
$169,298 |
| Susan Babcock, Assistant Executive Director, Strategic/Workforce |
$169,148 |
| Rachelle Johnson, Assistant Executive Director, Member Services-Programming |
$164,525 |
| Mark Linder, Labor Relations Consultant |
$161,756 |
| Venita Shoulders, Labor Relations Consultant |
$158,432 |
| William Otten, Labor Relations Consultant |
$155,873 |
| Patricia Collins, Director, Region 1 |
$155,551 |
| Fritz Fekete, Director I/S & Research |
$154,635 |
| Mary Suchy, Director of Membership |
$152,636 |
| Randall Flora, Director, EI&I |
$152,114 |
| Rodney Bird, Labor Relations Consultant |
$152,058 |
| Jeffrey Kestner, Labor Relations Consultant |
$150,739 |
These are just the OEA staff & officers paid more than $150,000. In 2010, more than 100 OEA employees were paid six figures! Strange that folks who make a living defending poor, unappreciated educators do so by shaking them down for triple the average Ohio teacher’s salary.
What do you think – can voters be forgiven for concluding the teachers’ union is more concerned with the union than with the teachers? Ohioans, vote Yes on Issue 2. Everyone else, please help spread the truth between now and November 8th!