By WAYNE ALLEN

PDT Staff Writer

Union supportes hosted a collective barbecue Saturday to help save collective bargaining.

“Today, we are having this grill out and canvas to get people people out on the streets for a last-minute push before we go into GOTV (Get Out To Vote,)” said Cherice Keyser, Shawnee Labor Council representative. “People have been coming in and out all day long and will go throughout the day.”

Keyser said reaction at the barbecue, held at the IBEW Hall in Portsmouth, has been very positive.

“I think people know this bill (Senate Bill 5) is unfair and there’s not one thing in this bill that’s going to save any money or save any jobs,” Keyser said. “Overall, people are understanding that and are responding very positively.”

Justin Miller of We Are Ohio said opinion polls are in unions’ favor, but he’s not claiming victory yet.

“We are less than a week and a half from this important election that’s going to affect Ohio workers across the state,” Miller said. “The polls are looking good for us but these off-year elections are all about turnout. People think this thing is in the bag, it’s absolutely not in the bag. We need to make sure we get people motivated and they know why this is not safe for our communities.”

For more information about We Are Ohio, visit weareohio.com.