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Kasich in Twinsburg...
Small businesses can
benefit from workers’ comp rate cut
by Emily Canning-Dean, Twinsburg Bulletin
April 28, 2011
Twinsburg — Ohio Gov. John Kasich chose a local automotive technology
business April 28 as the backdrop for his proposal to cut the base rate
of workers compensation by 4 percent.
The president of Mustang Dynamometer on Pinnacle Parkway said he is in
full support of the cut, which will save Mustang about $10,000 per
year.
“This is fantastic ... It means more money that can be invested into
the company,” said Dean Ganzhorn, president of Mustang Dynamometer.
Kasich announced to a crowd of about 200 his proposal for the rate
reduction and touted other tenets of his jobs budget during his
45-minute long visit. He was to visit another business, Noshok, in
Berea later today.
“Mustang Dynamometer is a company with interesting technology ...
[it’s] a small business that will really benefit from this reduction,”
Kasich said.
Mustang has been in Twinsburg since 1986 and manufactures automotive
testing equipment such as chassis and engine dynamometers. The facility
is 60,000 square feet and employs 60.
Bureau of Workers’ Compensation administrator Steve Buehrer, who
accompanied Kasich, said the rate reduction — which still must be
approved by the Board of Directors at the BWC — is possible
because the bureau has been receiving a good return on investments, and
because the number of claims submitted to the bureau has decreased in
the last few years.
Buehrer added that he submitted Kasich’s proposal to the board April
28, the same day Kasich announced the proposal in Twinsburg.
If the board of directors approve the proposal, the lower base rate
would take affect July 1.
Several officials present applauded Kasich’s proposal.
“We now have a governor who understands that it is business that grows
jobs,” said State Rep. Lynn Slaby.
“I don’t think people who don’t own a business realize what employers
pay for workers’ comp,” said Doug Johnson, executive director of the
Twinsburg Chamber of Commerce. “This will be a benefit to many of our
small businesses.”
“I think the governor gave a very positive message,” said Twinsburg
Council President Gary Sorace. “I don’t envy his position. But this
proposal is great news for small businesses.”
But not everyone greeted Kasich’s arrival in Twinsburg warmly. A group
of about 10 members from the Service Employees International Union
Local 1199 out of Cleveland stood outside of Mustang Dynamometer
wearing black cloaks and carrying sickles, chanting “Governor Kasich is
a job killer.”
“I want to tell him that he will end up eliminating jobs and his
funding cuts will eliminate public education,” said Samara Knight, a
member of SEIU.
But Kasich said he believes that cutting costs for Ohio businesses will
mean more jobs for the state in the future.
“Businesses across the state get frustrated because they feel no one is
listening,” Kasich said. “We need to use common sense and make it
easier to open and operate a business in this state. We want to be
competitive with other states.”
Kasich said local government basic aid needs to be reduced to avoid
raising taxes, while shaving $8 billion from the state’s budget. He
said he believes local governments will persevere, especially with the
control Senate Bill 5 gives these agencies to curb health care and
pension costs.
“Workers should have the right negotiate wages and the right to
negotiate working conditions,” Kasich said. “But the managers have to
be able to control the cost of health care. The average private sector
worker pays 23 percent of health care costs. The average government
worker pays 9 percent. I don’t think that is good for the middle class.”
Kasich said he is confident Ohio will be “great again.”
“Right now the whole country is watching Ohio,” he said. “If we can fix
Ohio, the folks in Washington could learn how to fix America.”
Read it at the Twinsburg Bulletin
Read the press release from Gov. Kasich
Read the Workers Compensation Fact Sheet
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