RootsCampOH

Mothers Day: "Arise then... women of this day!"

Lorraine Bieber — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:55:33 EDT

It is indeed puzzling that so many Republican members of Ohio's congressional delegation voted no on H.R. 1113, “Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day” (full warm and fuzzy text here).

...until you consider the origins of Mother's Day.

Julia Ward Howe, who penned The Battle Hymn of the Republic, also authored a mothers' Declaration calling on women to oppose war, and worked to get recognition of a Mother’s Day for Peace. Says Code Pink: "Were she alive today, Julia probably would have told her kids to dispense with the roses and chocolates, and instead join her in an anti-war rally. Yes, Julia Ward Howe was a peacenik."

[Howe] saw some of the worst effects of the [civil] war -- not only the death and disease which killed and maimed the soldiers. She worked with the widows and orphans of soldiers on both sides of the war, and realized that the effects of the war go beyond the killing of soldiers in battle. She also saw the economic devastation of the Civil War, the economic crises that followed the war, the restructuring of the economies of both North and South.
In 1870, Julia Ward Howe took on a new issue and a new cause….She called in 1870 for women to rise up and oppose war in all its forms. She wanted women to come together across national lines, to recognize what we hold in common above what divides us, and commit to finding peaceful resolutions to conflicts. She issued a Declaration, hoping to gather together women in a congress of action.

Howe failed in her attempt to get formal recognition of a Mother's Day for Peace, but her effort was carried on by Anna Jarvis, who had organized women during the Civil War to work for better sanitary conditions for both sides, and then toward reconciliation of Union and Confederate neighbors.

Jarvis’ daughter, of the same name, then took up the campaign for Mother’s Day. After the custom spread to 45 states, President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother’s Day in 1914.

Julia Ward Howe's Mothers' Declaration:

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

Maybe Pryce, Schmidt, Tiberi, Chabot, Boehner, Regula, LaTourette, Hobson, and Turner have a thing against moms. But YOU can make this Mother's Day a Mother's Day For Peace.

Help CodePink help Iraqi refugee moms here.

Send a MomsRising Mother's Day card and tell the presidential candidates to fight for family-friendly policies. here.

Oh and don't forget to call the Congressional Switchboard at 1-800-839-5276 to give the above members of Congress a piece of your mind about H.R. 1113.

Do you have another suggestion for honoring Julia Ward Howe's Mothers' Declaration? Are you a mom working for peace? Leave a comment below.

Sustainability Now! Conference

Lucie Pollard — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:23:10 EDT

Consider attending this conference May 16 - 17, which is jointly sponsored by Simply Living and OSU's Social Responsibility Initiative with support from the Columbus Green Building Forum.

On Friday hear the keynote address by Jim Merkel, author of

Alberto Gonzalez at OSU tonight

Lucie Pollard — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:07:49 EST

At 7 p.m. he will appear at Mershon Auditorium, to talk about his heritage, family, and life in politics, as the highest ranking official of Hispanic descent.The OSU Student Union funded the event, and each student can show his/her Buck ID and get 2 free tickets at the Ohio Union office in the stadium.

Blackwell & Brunner on tv at same time - OMG!

Lucie Pollard — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:38:51 EST

Sometimes living in the heart of it all is just too much. I was watching MSNBC and Chris Matthews brought Darth Vader, I mean Ken Blackwell, on to do commentary. I hope they aren't paying him! I watched as much as I could stand, and then switched to C-SPAN where they carried a live ONN feed with Jennifer Brunner at a press conference, responding to questions about the Obama law suit and extended poll hours.

Election Eve at Franklin County B of E

Lucie Pollard — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:02:55 EST

Dropped my daughter off to hand out literature for a candidate yesterday evening -- what a spectacle! Lots of Barack and Hillary supporters out on Broad Street waving signs at traffic (who honked happily in response). I noticed that the Barack signs were handmade, and my daughter said it seemed as if the Barack supporters were locals, whle the Hillary people were from out of state. She said some of the Hillary guys were a little confrontational, but pretty nice after she went over and said "Look, we all have to be on the same side after the nomination -- we're all Democrats!" They toned it down after that. Lines of voters were steady, even though the rain picked up and the temperature dropped.

A primary like no other! I voted early, but my daughter wants to go to our polling place. She loves that ritual.

Teamsters just endorsed Obama

Lucie Pollard — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:47:04 EST

I heard it on the Ed Schultz Show.

WADC tonight: Brian Rothenberg, Candidates and More

Lucie Pollard — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:18:59 EST

WADC is looking forward to an interesting evening. Our featured speaker is Progress Ohio's Brian Rothenberg, who will doubtless have some interesting reflections on Rootscamp, the amazing growth of Progress Ohio, and the ever-changing relationship of media and politics.

In addition we will hear from the two candidates competing in the primary for Franklin County Commissione: John O'Grady and Cindy Lazarus.

We are also expecting brief statements from Mary Ellen O'Shaughnessy (Clerk of Court of Common Pleas), and Jay Perez (Ohio House, 21st district) who are no longer opposed in the primary.

Liz Shirey will speak about ODP's "Neighborhood Leader" project (and I look forward to thanking her personally for her work in putting together the ODP's Women's Organizing Convention last weekend.

WADC always has spirited Q and A sessions, which are frequently the most interesting part of the evening. Come join us for an interesting and varied evening.

More Information Here > >

Frances Strickland To Speak At RootsCamp Sunday

Lorraine Bieber — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:12:32 EST

Progress Ohio, America Votes, and the Ohio Progressive Leadership Network are pleased to announce our 9:30 AM welcome speaker:

First Lady of Ohio, Frances Strickland

Mrs. Strickland will speak about sustaining Ohio's progressive movement through 2008 and beyond.

First Lady Frances Strickland has shared Ted's vision for a better future for Ohio with thousands of people across the state. Often seen brandishing her guitar and leading the crowd in a sing-along, Frances brings an irreplaceable creativity and enthusiasm to her work for Ohio.

Our lunch speaker:

Robert Creamer of Progress Ohio's national partner, Americans United For Change. Creamer's recently released book is entitled Listen to Your Mother: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, with a foreword by Tom Matzzie of MoveOn.

Says Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio):

"If every activist in America read Listen to Your Mother: Stand Up Straight, we could change our country. This book will help bring on the New Progressive Era. It's that good."

Find out more about RootsCamp here.

RootsCamp is Sunday, January 13, 9-5 at the Riffe Center, 31st Floor, corner of State & High Streets, Columbus, OH 43215

RootsCamp: Come. Talk. Learn. RootsCamp is a conference for organizers, leaders, tech, fundraisers, bloggers and anyone else who is working for change. It's an opportunity for open dialogue about leading the way in '08 and beyond.

RootsCamp is participant-driven. Want to lead a session? Write your topic on a card and tape it to the wall. Add more sessions throughout the day as ideas are generated. YOU set the agenda.

RootsCamp: Ohio jobs for Ohioans. Organizations who are hiring in '08, bring your job descriptions; job-seekers bring your résumés - we're going to have a jobs fair.

RootsCamp is FREE. Breakfast/lunch provided, and plentiful coffee.

RootsCamp is organized by the Ohio Progressive Leadership Network, and sponsored by Progress Ohio, America Votes, Licking County Pro-Active Citizens, UFCW Local 1059, UAW CAP Council, League of Young Voters, Licking County Democratic Club, Ohio Young Democrats, Ohioans for Democratic Values, Clintonville Community Market, and Licking County Women's Caucus.

RootsCamp Ohio 2008

Lorraine Bieber — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:57:24 EST

If you haven't already, sign up for RootsCamp '08. It's a free, open conference about all aspects of progressive organizing - field, fundraising, online, etc.

Anyone can lead a session (come early to sign up for a time slot). Session topics that have already been proposed are here.

To see who else is coming and to sign up, click here.

From rootscampohio.org:

We'll share innovations, failures, old wisdom and new discoveries, with an eye toward:

Developing our skills and networking to lead the way in 2008 and beyond
Building organization and sustainability in Ohio's growing progressive movement

WHEN:            Sunday, January 13, 2008    9 am – 5 pm (free breakfast & lunch)

WHERE:          The Vern Riffe Center, 31st Floor. At the corner of High St. and State St, Columbus, OH 43215.

PARKING:        Under the Statehouse - access from 3rd St. between Broad St. & State St., or in the City Center Mall parking garage - access from 3rd, Main, or Rich Sts.

Progressive Talk radio is coming back to Columbus!

Lorraine Bieber — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:54:09 EST

You did it!

Thanks to the efforts of Ohio Majority Radio and longtime radio executive Gary Richards, central Ohioans will once again hear progressive talk from favorites like Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz, and Randi Rhodes. We'll also hear coverage of local high school football, boys and girls basketball, and other local sports.

It all starts at 6 AM this Monday, December 3rd. Tune to AM 1580 WVKO.

How can an individual listener like you help keep Progressive Talk radio on the air?

Contribute to Progress Ohio's radio ad campaign fund!

By donating to Progress Ohio's radio ad campaign fund, you will not only be helping keep Progressive Talk on the air, you'll be supporting Progress Ohio's 112 community partnerships.

It's been a long road to secure Progressive Talk radio in Columbus. After all this hard work, let's do everything we can to keep it on the air.

Now that it's back, click here to support WVKO's Progressive Programming.

Free Burma!

Eric Vessels — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:09:42 EDT

Learn more

Take action

More here

The Myspace/MTV thing just got even cooler

Lorraine Bieber — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:47:34 EDT

When the presidential dialogue was over, the myspace page provided a flektor, enabling viewers to share the vote results (as well as one's own votes) on a blog, myspace, email, or elsewhere. The little star on the pie chart shows how I voted. While the event was going on, the pieces of the same type of pie chart (on the same screen as Edwards) were fluctuating as viewers changed their votes in response to what Edwards was saying.

They're going to do this for all the candidates willing to participate, both republican and democratic. I'll post again when the next one is scheduled.

45 minutes left of Myspace/MTV interactive dialogue with John Edwards

Lorraine Bieber — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:17:16 EDT

This is turning out to be super cool. I'm watching the Myspace/MTV interactive dialogue with John Edwards. As he answers questions, you rate his responses. Meanwhile, you can watch a pie chart showing everyone's ratings. It's fun to watch the pie chart change in real time as people change their responses.

Join in NOW - 45 minutes left. You don't have to have a Myspace profile to watch and participate.
It's at:
http://www.myspace.com/election2008

Happy Birthday Progress!

Eric Vessels — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 11:30:53 EDT

So it's been a year eh? Time does fly when you're having fun countering the right-wing smear machine with progressive voices. They ended up being so diverse and powerful that many entrenched political figures cowered under the shadows on high.

What I remember is a left-wing crazy assed blogger hooking up with an established political communications professional in an unlikely synergy that would launch a powerful progressive force uniting activists of all types into one strong voice.

I remember strategy meetings in Starbucks. I remember going over website features and designs over a Bob Evans breakfast. I remember flying to Denver to learn from our colleagues (and now good friends) at ProgressNow. I seem to also remember a ton of snow and sitting on a plane for two hours, but thems the breaks in ski country I reckon.

I remember finally coming to light on South Third Street and shooting a video holding Deb Pryce and company accountable to our seniors while furniture was being moved in. Hit the ground running - and haven't let up since. You might remember that video. They didn't care about our statement.

They care now.

Only now the statement is bigger. Not many listen to a dozen voices as those are easy to ignore. It's no longer feasible to ignore more than 250,000 voices all demanding an end to our failed foray into neo-conservatism. The voices demanded an end to 16 years of corrupt one party rule. The voices demanded to be represented.

They are starting to listen.

From the first day we countered the right-wing noise, and you were there. You might have just sat back and read emails. You might have cursed your screen as we all do at times. You might have signed a petition thinking 'what good does this really do?'. You might have signed up for a blog and began to speak out online. You may have even attended or even organized a live event. Whatever you did, you did it with ProgressOhio tools - and it mattered immensely. I'm often asked what it is ProgressOhio does. It's actually quite simple and the confusion amazes me. PO is a toolset for countering right-wing noise and smears and for furthering progressive causes. PO is a concentration of our power and voice. PO works to make sure progressive voices are heard and progressive policies are fought for.

But most of all ProgressOhio was launched with the goal to be powered by and representative of you, the progressive activist. I'm proud to have had a very small role in getting the ball rolling. By the looks of it, the ball is not only rolling but picking up steam. My last visit to the offices at PO was two doors down and double the space. Each time I've been in there have been multiple people working to further the progressive cause, whether directly for ProgressOhio or for partner groups. I've rarely recognized everyone in the office and that left me smilling. It's what we were after.

So congratulations. To YOU. For one year of progressive work. I hope we are able to get together soon and celebrate our accomplishments together. I hope you feel as good about it as I do.

And finally some advice. Whatever it is you do - DO IT! Don't worry about how small it feels. Together it is significant. I think it was said best by a bespeckled bald Indian:

"Almost anything you do seems insignificant. It is very important that you do it. You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Progress Bombaye!

PS - I want a corner piece!

Tim Ryan (OH-17) takes the $21 Food Stamp Challenge

Lorraine Bieber — Fri, 18 May 2007 00:11:32 EDT

Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan joins Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) in an effort to raise awareness for hunger and for their proposal to add $4 billion to the annual federal food stamp budget. Day one from Tim Ryan's blo g:

This week, I’ll be participating in the Food Stamp Challenge. For seven days, I’ll be living on three dollars of food per day, the same amount an average participant in the Food Stamp Program receives. The Challenge is an exercise aimed to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by millions of Americans, who live day to day, working to put food on the table.

Last Friday, my staff and I held a meeting plotting out how I would spend my $21.00. As we looked over food prices, we were struck by how anyone could expect a person to have a balanced, healthy diet on a mere three dollars per day. On a dollar per meal, a person can’t buy fresh fruit and vegetables. A person can’t buy the milk they need. The kids across the country who go to bed hungry on nights when the budget is stretched too thin deal with the reality of poverty every day, and I want them to know they aren’t forgotten.

There are over one million recipients of Food Stamps in Ohio, nearly 90,000 in the 17th District. I’m participating in this challenge because as Congress crafts this years Farm Bill, we’re going to have to take a hard look at the way the Food Stamp Program is administered. I hope that at the end of the week, I have a deeper understanding of the hardships of these millions of American, and a better idea of how to help them.

Eye on the Bloghouse: BI is not your friend!

Eric Vessels — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 10:14:03 EST

(X posted from Plunderbund) Let's cut to the point and get something straight here right out of the gate. The Buckeye Institute is not our friend - if you don't consider yourself a conservative. Put a nice little period after that one and you can go about your day unless you want to hear me pound Jill Zimon for the next couple minutes.

Jill posted a nice little note on her blog making us all aware that The Buckeye Institute has a new blog designed to alert us of any "wasteful spending" at The Statehouse. It's fun! It's exciting! We can make our government better and the flowers will smell rosier and the sun will shine brighter. Jill, dear, what the FUCK don't you get about the Buckeye Institute? First clue:

Right there above the link to your blog...see it? "...promoting free market ideas and limited government". That's code for "Right-wing intelligent design loving miscreants". Is this new to you? Thankfully Jerid hopped on this and outed Carlo and friends. You really want to point people there and have us all hop on this illusion of a bi-partisan trainwreck? You really hat tipped Matt Naugle? Did i really just see that? There is a reason Russell and I used to give you shit about being a closet conservative. Then you let Matt get away with slamming Policy Matters and pretending that Buckeye Institute is "completely unlike Policy Matters, which is a group of liberal smucks and union cronies". Pardon me, but What? The? Fuck?

Do some damned research. You normally do. Find out that while Matt is understandably trying to paint Policy Matters as partisan and Buckeye Institute as "representing the general interest", nothing could be further from the truth. Second clue? They hired his ass to put the blog together! Ding ding ding! I think there is a knob behind your left ear labeled "conservative misinformation bullshit meter". Turn that up to 11.

Business First got it right when they called BI "a conservative think tank in Columbus". Duh. You might also find out that in January Deborah Owens (aka DeborahLOwens or Deborah Owens Fink) was named to the board. Wanna guess who she gave money to? Yup. Wanna guess what else she is involved in? You know, right? You quoted her once and I think even pounded on her a bit. She's also the mouthpiece in Ohio for Seattle's Discovery Institute - a so-called "public policy think tank", but more aptly described as a "belief tank" (like a think tank without the doubt).

Blackwell, Loparo, Fink, Naugle. Yes! Let's get behind that! Make no mistake here: The Buckeye Institute is the enemy. If No one is more concerned about Ohio's future than you, then call bullshit on this instead of empower it. For the love of all that is good and right fight the good fight!

But hey, it's a rough and tumble world out there in this political landscape. Charlatans everywhere. Be careful, kid. You need something just come see me at the pub. I'll be in the back talking strategy with Vinnie.

Turning Ohio Around in Worthington

Lucie Pollard — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 18:44:40 EST

It is a big job, but if the energy level in Worthington is any indication, this project is underway. WADC member Gary Tyack had to resign his position as chairman of the Worthington School Board after his election to the Franklin County Court of Appeals. The school board asked for applications so they could appoint someone to fill out the term, and got twenty six applicants. This group was winnowed to five, including WADC members Anita Doran, Abe Ottolenghi and Charlie Wilson. Wilson, a law professor at OSU and active, thoughtful participant in WADC, was the board's choice. Local voluntary boards and commissions are also seeing a surge in applications which has slowed the process of choosing the new members. Again, among those I am aware of are numerous superbly qualitfied, thoughtful people. Then there is Sustainable Worthington, begun after the election. I was looking for a way to continue active involvement in the community with as many of the people I had enjoyed getting to know during the election as possible -- I didn't want to stop working and thinking with them, but thought it might be time to "think globally but act locally." I met Lisa Staggenborg and others at Simply Living's conference on sustainability in October, and we set up a meeting to discuss sustainability in Worthington on November 29. We defined sustainability (with the help of Fred Yaeger) as "the ability to provide for the needs of the world's current population without damaging the ability of future generations to provide for themselves. When a process is sustainable, it can be carried out over and over without negative environmental effects or impossibly high costs to anyone involved. The dimensions of sustainability are economic, ecological, social and cultural."

Thirty five people came to the first meeting, and we have been growing ever since. We have 83 people on the main Google group's list, and have developed seven sub-groups which are meeting independently now:

Local Foods (local grocery, co-op, year-round farmer's market, community garden
Energy Use (audits of city and residential buildings, group purchases of solar energy, exploring what other communities are doing)
Bike, Bus, Walk (Comprehensive plan, bike links to other communities, better sidewalks and walking paths)
Community Hub on Village Green (restore 752 building as community center with bus hub, restrooms for walkers and bikers, local food; traffic calming at 161 & High)
Commercial Development (new CVS building -- green standards?, mix of stores addressing more day-to-day needs, more ethnic and vegetarian restaurants, bike shop, bookstore, restaurants with community meeting space)
Recycling (work with school programs starting with paper, which they can sell; get churches and businesses to save paper; participate in art ReCycle project; find safe disposal for fluorescent bulbs)
Educational Series (possibly in conjunction with the library)

Lisa and I seem to be helping people find each other, but once they do, they are off and running. We seem to have tapped into the Zeitgeist with this, and expect good things to come of it.

Just speaking for myself, I am learning a great deal, and getting to know some interesting people. Sustainability is sometimes an unfamiliar concept in Ohio, but once people start to understand it, people seem to find their own ways of getting involved.

The Post I Didn't Wanna Write...

Eric Vessels — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 15:30:37 EST

Ah, the post I didn't wanna write. I will say that it is a bit easier than 3 weeks ago when this first began. I was forced to a decision. When I was first talking to people in Colorado about forming a group similar to theirs in Ohio I was both excited about the concept as well as doubtful that I'd be picked to launch it. It turned out that I got the opportunity to do just that, and as those who read my post at Plunderbund know, I viewed it as a high honor.

What some might not know is that for the past 4 years I've also been involved in another startup of sorts in the private sector. A website that has become the number one news destination in the global commercial printing industry. I told Brian when I interviewed to be the resident geek at ProgressOhio about the business and that I was an equity partner and would not be walking away from that. So for the last 5 months I've essentially been doing two jobs. ProgressOhio during the day and WhatTheyThink.com at night. Ironic given PO is supposed to be the "shadow organization" and I did that in the light of day. It was hard, but the energy around the midterm elections helped me get by on adrenaline and caffeine.

Soon after the election we decided amongst the owners of the business that we needed to get serious in order to make it the success we thought it could be. This forced my decision and I spent the better part of a month with permanent knots in my stomach. I will say that I have never made a harder decision in my entire life, including some pretty damned tough ones!

In the end, my entrepreneurial dreams and a desire to have my own business and make something that had lasting value and contributed to the long-term financial stability of my family barely won over my passion for politics and contributing to progressive change in an era when more and more control is concentrated in the hands of less and less folks.

I was worried about Rootscamp coming toward the end of my time knowing I had already decided to leave. I feared the event would cause me to regret given what I predicted would be a great time with a good number of like-minded folks from across the state. I was right about the last part, but in my heart I did not feel regret for my decision and feel very fortunate for that.

I will certainly miss a great many things, most of which will be getting to work with one of the brightest political minds in the state in Brian. I was very hesitant in the beginning given our recent history over the ODP state dinner and the Obama table. The two of us worked better together than I ever could have imagined and I'm glad I listened to Mike Huttner when he said us coming from different directions could be a plus - he was spot on! (Mike is the Executive Director of our sister organization in Colorado - ProgressNow.) I feel like we learned alot from each other - me gaining a slight edge maybe in things learned.

So I'm leaving ProgressOhio after having successfully launched what I hope will be a progressive force for years to come. I am quite confident that I'm leaving things in capable hands with Dave Harding. I have followed Dave since I first started Plunderbund and watched his work at UAPA's blog and then watched as he ran probably the best online operation among the Congressionals. Join me in welcoming Dave aboard and give him your full support. He's gonna take this to a whole new level. I'll do everything I can from the outside now to see that it succeeds. I hope you all will join me in that. When you look at what went on at this weekend's RootsCamp event, it is clear that there is a strong movement and a great many individuals willing to get things done. A buddy of mine asked out loud as we were standing around during a break in the action at the Y: "Look around. You think the right has any idea what they are dealing with?"

Nope. I don't.

So sayonara ProgressOhio, and Doumo arigatou gozai-masu. Kochira koso.

PS - If you end up looking for me you will probably find me here or here.

RootsCampOH...is TODAY!

Eric Vessels — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 07:49:28 EST

We hope you are headed that way. Quick note - the wiki had the address as 5 S 4th Street. It is 65 S 4th Street. Thanks to the wandering Jill Miller Zimon for pointing this out!

Most things related to camp will be posted on the now locked down wiki site:

rootscamp.pbwiki.com/RootsCampOH

If you have questions, don't hesitate: eric@progressohio.org

FLOC of Pissed Off Farm Workers...

Eric Vessels — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 16:43:01 EST

The Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) will welcome the return of the Ohio Legislature with a stinging rebuke over its exclusion of farm workers from the Constitutional Amendment that increased Ohio’s minimum wage. Baldemar Velasquez, the organization’s president, said, “To deny some of Ohio’s hardest working people this minimum-wage increase is mean-spirited and contributes to an underclass in our state. These workers do the stoop labor in our fields that is undesirable to most Ohioans, they put food on our tables by working in the most adverse conditions and spend their nights, in many cases, in hot cramped cabins in labor camps.”

Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot issue last November amending Ohio’s Constitution and increasing the minimum wage. The state legislature introduced H.B. 690 which exempts some low-wage industries, specifically labor-intensive, piece-rate agricultural jobs.

Lupe Williams, Professor at Ohio State University said, “Undoubtedly, the broader public is unaware of this despicable act of our legislature. The public voted for this wage increase as a Constitutional measure – now some want to speak louder than our Constitution.”

Velasquez added, “The people work so hard and ironically live in perpetual poverty. What happened to our country’s ethic of a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work? I’ll tell you the truth, in this case the violators of that ethic are supposed leaders in our legislature whose hearts are corrupt with power and privilege that makes them blind to the plight of the working poor.”

Velasquez and Williams will be joined by other Latino Leaders from around the state at a press conference this coming Friday, January 26th at 10 a.m. in the Capitol’s southeast passageway. The Latino leaders are expected to announce a statewide initiative to organize politically against this measure.