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Thousands of opponents of Ohio's new collective bargaining law marched through the streets of Columbus on Wednesday to deliver signatures aimed at getting a repeal question on the November ballot, even as Gov. John Kasich continued to defend the law.



The morning parade staged by We Are Ohio, the group opposing Senate Bill 5, stretched from the city's science museum across the Scioto River past the Statehouse. Marchers young and old chanted "Kill the bill" and "O-H-I-O, John Kasich's got to go" as they walked.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat from the blue-collar Mahoning Valley, called the number of signatures "epic."

"At this point, it appears all but certain that in November voters will have the opportunity to overturn this attack on Ohio's working families," he said in a statement. "This bill was a blatant political attack on Ohio's teachers, firefighters, policeman, and the rest of the people that support our communities."

The law signed by Kasich in late March bans public employee strikes and restricts collective bargaining rights for more than 350,000 teachers, police officers, state employees and others. While unions can continue to negotiate wages, they cannot bargain on health care, sick time or pension benefits.

"Educators oppose one-size-fits-all evaluation and merit pay systems that rely too much on standardized tests," the teachers union said in a statement. "Most Ohioans agree it is wrong to link high-stakes decisions to student performance on standardized tests, especially decisions about how teachers are paid."

With the budget and signature deadline behind them, opposing groups sought political contributions for their sides Wednesday in anticipation of the fall campaign.

Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga said Senate Bill 5 has "galvanized a true grassroots movement of Ohioans who have stood up and made their voice heard, not only on Senate Bill 5, but also on Kasich's jobs killing budget, bills that would suppress the vote, and a slew of other attacks."

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