Monday, February 28, 2011

All Around

Unions vs. the Right to Work
Wall Street Journal
This group includes Indiana, which has recently been as active as Wisconsin on labor issues; ironically, Indiana enacted a right-to-work law in 1957 but repealed it in 1965. Otherwise, my tentative list includes Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maine, Florida, ...

It's 1968 All Over Again, and King's Fight For Unions Is Still Essential Essential
History News Network
In other states, Republicans want to adopt “right to work” (for less) laws that would take away the requirement that workers in unionized jobs pay union dues. This would undermine the unions while, in King's words, providing “no rights and no work. ...

A Three-Man Band of Budget Cutters
New York Times
But perhaps the most controversial measure that Indiana Republicans have proposed — “right-to-work” legislation that would prohibit any requirement that employees in private sector workplaces pay union dues or fees — was not one that Mr. Daniels ...

Wisconsin

Budget stalemate as strong as ever

Who will blink first? Neither side is budging in Wisconsin's epic fight over union rights, but at some point the dispute must come to a head. And Tuesday could prove to be a crucial day.

Capitol camp-out continues

Faced with several hundred drum-beating, dancing and chanting demonstrators who refused to leave the state Capitol after the doors were shut at 4 p.m. Sunday, police decided to let the crowd spend the night and continue the protest against Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair bill.

Rallies for labor, in Wisconsin and beyond

MADISON, Wis. — With booming chants of "This will not stand!" at least 70,000 demonstrators flooded the square around the Wisconsin Capitol on Saturday in what the authorities here called the largest protest yet in nearly two weeks of demonstrations.

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In Indiana, clues to future of Wisconsin labor

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and other officials who are pushing to eliminate or weaken collective bargaining by government employees say their goal is to save millions of dollars and increase government's flexibility to run its operations.

Demonstrators Can Continue Overnight Stays in Wisconsin Capitol MADISON, Wis. — In a victory — at least a symbolic one — for Wisconsin’s public employee unions, the Capitol authorities announced on Sunday that demonstrators could continue their all-night sleepovers in the building and would not be forcibly ejected or arrested.

Walker's Push to Curtail Union Rights Makes Him an Outlier Among Governors
Bloomberg
A website set up by the Republican Governors Association, dubbed “Stand with Scott,” yesterday had comments in support of Walker only from governors in Texas, Mississippi, Virginia, Louisiana and Idaho, all so called right-to-work states where ...

Indiana

Klinker expects Democrats to be in Illinois awhile
"We're sitting around trying to think of a way to end this," she said. "It's tough and it may be another week. I don't see the resolution happening overnight. "If it was just one issue, like right-to-work, it would be over, but it's multiple issues

With right to work shelved, it's time to come back
I understand why the House Democrats left to protest the right-to-work legislation. As president of the National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 49, I disagreed with the proposed law. I also disagree with several other proposals in the House, ...

The Walkout: needed or smokescreen?
Terre Haute Tribune Star
Right-to-work legislation was just one of them, he said. But he took particular aim at House Bill 1479 which would allow the state to take over under-performing schools. “There are 212 schools in Indiana that are on that list,” he said, adding later, ...

13 WTHRDaniels holds firm on statehouse dispute
WTHR
It started as a battle over "Right To Work" and peaked with Indiana House Democrats fleeing across state lines. Now, many wonder when the statehouse drama will end. "While they are subverting the legislative process, there's nothing to talk about,"

Indiana House Democrats showing no sign of relenting
Indianapolis Star
Even with plans to stop a "right to work" bill that would ban unions and companies from negotiating contracts requiring nonunion members to pay for representation, Democrats want 11 bills stopped. Republicans still want to get the House moving again. ...

With stakes so high, a deal at the Statehouse may be out of reach
Indianapolis Star
The tipping point, House Democrats said, came when Republicans decided to push the so-called "right to work" bill -- which bars unions and companies from negotiating a contract that requires non-members to pay representation fees -- against Gov. ...

Daniels 'disappointed' by township overhaul defeat
Evansville Courier & Press
Indiana's governor urges GOP lawmakers to give up a right-to-work bill for fear the backlash could derail the rest of his agenda; Ohio senators plan to soften a bill that would have banned collective bargaining, and the Michigan governor says he'd ...

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels Is Tough On Budgets
NPR
It was a private sector Right to Work bill — very, very legitimate issue, uh, and uh — as I've said many times, and, uh — but a big one. And I had two reasons. I've had exactly the same position on this from the first time the idea surfaced. ...

Governor Mitch Daniels Trying To Avoid Wisconsin-Type Protest
Daily News Pulse
By Mike Thomas on February 27, 2011, 6:19 pm It was one thing when it seemed that all Democrats wanted to do was kill the right-to-work bill, which Daniels was never that enthusiastic about in the first place. It was quite another when it became clear ...

Ohio

Senate Bill 5 saves $1.3B, study says

State and local governments would have saved an estimated $1.3 billion in 2010 on health insurance and automatic pay increases if the limits imposed by Senate Bill 5 were in effect, according to a new analysis by the state Office of Collective Bargaining.

Senate Bill 5 -- It's about budgets, jobs, ideology

As hundreds of union supporters protested outside yesterday, Senate President Tom Niehaus met in his Statehouse office with Senate GOP leadership preparing changes to a collective-bargaining overhaul bill he hopes to pass this week.

Kasich -- 'I'm not anti-union'

Saying he is at war with joblessness, not unions, Gov. John Kasich denied yesterday that there is any coordinated effort by Republican governors to stifle the power of public-employee unions.

Kasich calls altering collective bargaining only first step

WASHINGTON -- Gov. John Kasich said curtailing collective-bargaining rights for public employees is only the first step in a series that he insists will "lower our costs, keep our entrepreneurs and create jobs."

Commentary: GOP in danger of misreading November mandate
Dayton Daily News
WASHINGTON — When he campaigned for governor last year, Republican John Kasich said he would take another look at Ohio law that grants collective bargaining rights to public employees. But he did not favor anti-union, right-to-work laws. ...

Pennsylvania

Metcalfe To Propose Right To Work Legislation « CBS Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania State Representative Daryl Metcalfe tells KDKA's Mike Pintek about his plans to propose Right-To-Work Legislation. RELATED LINKS: RepMetcalfe.

Corbett favors right-to-work legislation - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Gov. Tom Corbett would sign right-to-work legislation if the General Assembly were to send him a bill, his spokesman said Tuesday.

Minnesota

Minnesota 'right to work' bill stalls in Legislature
Minnesota Daily
A bill for a constitutional amendment prohibiting unions from requiring prospective employees to join or pay dues, making Minnesota a “right to work” state, was proposed in the House in early January but has yet to come before a committee. ...

New Hampshire

Hampton should keep eye on how reps. are voting
Seacoastonline.com
HB 474, the Right to Work bill, would hamper collective bargaining in New Hampshire. Hampton Republicans voting in favor of limiting collective bargaining: ...

Sunday, February 27th

All Around

Rallies in 50 states to support Wis. protesters
CBS News
Texas is a Right To Work state, therefore very little union activity and some ... eg Montana ; states which have no collective bargaining or massive unions ...

Wisconsin

Chris Norden: A 'right to work' state benefits only the rich
Madison.com
To think that such an action would improve the long-term economic health, prosperity or productivity of your state by shifting it in the direction of a right-to-work environment is both wrongheaded and ill-fated. As a current union member (American ...

Ohio

Ohio's 64-year-old war over public unions rekindled
Dayton Daily News
Public employee unions tried to fight back, but had little success in the legislature. Then came 1958 and a right-to-work initiative that backfired. Against the advice of Ohio Republican Chairman Ray Bliss and Republican US Sen. John Bricker, GOP Gov

Indiana

Both sides in Statehouse have too much to lose to back down
Indianapolis Star
The tipping point, House Democrats said, came when Republicans decided to push the so-called "right to work" bill -- which bars unions and companies from negotiating a contract that requires non-members to pay representation fees -- against Gov. ...

'Right to Work' initiative represents threat to unions everywhere
Palladium-Item
Some in my community have pondered why HB 1468, a so-called "Right to Work" (RTW) initiative, is being considered by the General Assembly at all, let alone now, when more pressing economic issues should take precedence. Consider this: These initiatives ...

End of stalemate hard to see
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Then on Monday, the controversial right-to-work bill received a hearing in a House committee. Dozens of opponents were cut off from testifying on the legislation, and Republicans approved the bill along party lines. Democrats left the state Tuesday in ...

Democrats' walkout not a new tactic in Hoosier politics | LAWMAKERS
Evansville Courier & Press
Stewart: The bill that has caused a lot of consternation among the House Democrats was the bill that essentially would make Indiana a right-to-work state, and late last week we had David Long, the Senate president pro tem, say that you all are not ...

Legislators make a mess; Hoosiers deserve better
Indianapolis Star
Such issues certainly have their constituencies, and they rouse strong passions on both sides, but does anyone believe that gay marriage and illegal immigration are the most critical problems facing Indiana? Nor, for that matter, was right-to-work ...

Indiana Senate won't resurrect right-to-work bill | The Courier ...
The leader of the Indiana Senate said Wednesday that controversial right-to-work legislation that died this week in the House won't be resurrected in the ...

Pennsylvania

Metcalfe To Propose Right To Work Legislation « CBS Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania State Representative Daryl Metcalfe tells KDKA's Mike Pintek about his plans to propose Right-To-Work Legislation. RELATED LINKS: RepMetcalfe.

Corbett favors right-to-work legislation - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Gov. Tom Corbett would sign right-to-work legislation if the General Assembly were to send him a bill, his spokesman said Tuesday.

New Hampshire

LePage: 'We're going after right-to-work' - POLITICO Live ...
I believe there are many Right To Work states other than just those in the great south. My former high taxed state Connecticut and also New Hampshire come ...

Missouri

McCaskill on the minds of GOP Senate hopefuls
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Steelman used her speech to the state committee to tout her support for a bill that would make Missouri a "right-to-work" state, which means that union fees could not be required as a condition of employment. Steelman, an economist, cited studies by ...

Wisconsin Union Protests Prompt Rallies in Jefferson City
OzarksFirst.com
Aside from supporting their peers in Wisconsin, protesters also denounced several initiatives before the Republican-controlled Missouri legislature, including the controversial "right-to-work" bill that would prohibit compulsory union membership. ...

Florida

Waiting for Gov. Rick Scott to blink
MiamiHerald.com
They're all wondering how far Florida, already a weak “right to work” state that allows unions to organize but leaves workers off the hook from paying union dues, will go. Gov. Rick Scott doesn't give them any touchy-feely. The man, in fact, ...

Friday, February 25, 2011

All Around

Union battle in the Midwest a pull for political power

The labor fight blazing in Madison, Wis., and other state capitals is more than a feud over budgets or the rights of government employees.

Wisconsin

WI: Budget-repair bill approved in early-morning vote
After a bitter, 61-hour debate that was the longest in living memory, the sleep-starved state Assembly voted in just seconds early Friday to approve a watershed proposal repealing most union bargaining rights held by public workers.

Tempers explode as Assembly passes controversial budget repair bill

Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly took the first significant action on their plan to strip collective bargaining rights from most public workers, abruptly passing the measure early Friday morning before sleep-deprived Democrats realized what was happening.

Lawmakers approve rule that could halt sleepovers in Capitol

Come Saturday, nearly two weeks after it started, the non-stop, drum-circle chant-a-thon that has consumed the state Capitol could officially end.

Wisconsin lawmakers take step toward resolution of budget standoff
Washington Post
Mitch Daniels (R) called on GOP lawmakers to abandon their "right to work" bill that would have made it a misdemeanor for an employer to require workers to become or remain members of a labor union. Even in Wisconsin - where more than 60000

Letter: Wisconsin should be right-to-work state
Dubuque Telegraph Herald
One such technique is to adopt right-to-work laws whereby membership in a union is voluntary rather than mandatory and employers no longer have to collect dues from the union members. Governors of other right-to-work states claim this is an asset when ...

Missouri

Missouri activists, unions say yes to cost-of-living
So-called right-to-work legislation, the attempt to repeal child labor laws, English-only provisions and attacks on our minimum wage! They have gone too far. We have to stop them." Brown added, "The right-wing extremists did not expect this kind of

Missouri Chamber calls for right-to-work law, Prime Buzz | Midwest ...
The Missouri Chamber of Commerce threw down the gauntlet today and called for the General Assembly to pass a right-to-work law. From a chamber statement

Pennsylvania

Pa. labor leaders foresee no attack on bargaining rights, pledge to fight 'right-to-work' bill

Leaders of organized labor say they'll fight any "right-to-work" bill to ban mandatory union membership in

Pennsylvania.

Corbett Would Sign Right-to-Work Legislation - Altoona, PA - News
Making Pennsylvania a Right to Work state would prohibit both the public and private sectors from requiring workers to join a union. ...

Indiana

Unions to continue protests after House adjourns without Dems

After House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, adjourned the session until Monday, labor supporters on Thursday cheered the actions of House Democrats and said they were committed to continuing protests at the Statehouse.

Gov. Daniels signs unemployment bill into law

Gov. Mitch Daniels signed into law a new effort to fix Indiana's bankrupt unemployment insurance fund, by raising taxes on businesses and cutting weekly payments to unemployed workers.

'Right-to-work' dead: GOP leaders
Evansville Courier & Press
Originally, Republicans were unwilling to back down on right-to-work legislation. "I think this is a bill that we as a whole assembly need to look at. It has tremendous economic benefits for Indiana," said Rep. Sue Ellspermann, R-Ferdinand. ...

Senate will not vote on right-to-work
nwitimes.com
INDIANAPOLIS | Even if the Indiana House somehow managed to salvage the right-to-work proposal that led to this week's walkout of Democratic representatives, it will not be voted on in the Senate. Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne, ...

Michigan

MI: Judge rules unconstitutional forcing state workers to pay retiree health care
State employees Thursday applauded a judge's ruling that struck down a law requiring them to put 3 percent of their pay toward the cost of retiree health care, but administration officials said an appeal is likely.

Podcast: Why Rick Snyder won't pick same fights as embattled Wisconsin governor
MLive.com
Rick Snyder is not Ohio's John Kasich or Wisconsin's Scott Walker, and Indiana's Mitch Daniels saying he would not send state police to round up Democratic lawmakers in his state seeking to block a vote on a right to work bill there. ...

New Hampshire

Republicans accused of targeting labor
Nashua Telegraph
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN The head of New Hampshire's AFL-CIO union Thursday claimed the Republican move to support right to work and other anti-union legislation ...

State budget timeline change supported

A bill that would bring major changes to the state's budgeting timeline enjoyed strong support in its debut Wednesday, despite its $1 million price tag and its failure in each of the last two legislative sessions.

Minnesota

Minn. teachers union launches media campaign

The state teachers union, Education Minnesota, is launching a new media campaign to support the state's children and their schools

Thursday, February 24, 2011

All Around

Behind collective bargaining debate, mixed experiences in the states
Indiana took away collective bargaining rights for state workers in 2005. Washington State added them in 2002. What difference does collective bargaining really make?

US: Obama sits out state fights
President Barack Obama, after initially lending his support to organized labor, has stepped back from the fights spreading in state capitals from Wisconsin to Tennessee, leaving union officials divided about his tactics.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Assembly Reaches Deal To End Debate, Vote On Anti-Union Bill MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Democrats in the state Assembly agreed to a deal in the pre-dawn hours Thursday to limit debate and reach a vote, perhaps by midday, on a bill taking away public workers' collective bargaining rights. Republican leadership in the Senate meanwhile dispatched police officers to the homes of some of the 14 Democratic lawmakers who have been on the run for a week to avoid voting on the proposal, to compel them to return.

Assembly debates budget fix through the night

Debate grinds on in the state Assembly early Wednesday morning on Gov. Scott Walker's plan to fix the state budget and end most of the union bargaining rights held by public workers for decades.


USW President and Steelworkers Offer Their Support in Madison State House United Steelworkers (USW) President Leo W. Gerard addressed the people rallying for worker bargaining rights in Madison, WI. He gave the support of all Steelworkers to the fight facing workers in the state. "Not only is America watching," said Gerard, "the whole world is watching."

Indiana

IN: GOP retreats on Indiana labor law
The speaker of Indiana's House of Representatives said he and Republican colleagues were dropping a controversial labor bill that caused Democratic representatives to flee to Illinois. But Democratic lawmakers said they were not returning to Indiana for now.

Indiana Republicans Table "Right to Work" Bill
Democratic legislators in Indiana, mirroring their Wisconsin counterparts' desperation, fled the state and its police jurisdiction Tuesday in order to deny Republican lawmakers the quorum necessary to proceed on a "right to work" bill, legislation that

IN Chamber Still Supports "Right to Work" Laws
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce is disappointed the proposed Right to Work legislation is dead. On Monday, a House committee approved to move the Right to Work bill forward to the entire House. However, all committee reports were due by Tuesday. ...

Indiana kills 'right-to-work' bill - Jennifer Epstein - POLITICO.com
Republicans in Indiana's state senate on Wednesday killed a proposed “right-to- work” bill that would have reduced the power of unions in the state. ...

Senate leader says right-to-work bill is dead | The Indianapolis ...
The Indiana House went into session this morning, with Democrats still in ... The controversial "right to work bill" that sparked a walkout by House ...

Union fight extends to Indiana
The most high-profile would make Indiana a "right to work" state, meaning that no workplace could require employees to join a union or pay union dues. That measure appears to be at least temporarily off the table. Other bills on the Democrats' list ...

Ohio

OH: Senate Republicans say they will not eliminate collective bargaining
Senate Republicans now say they will not eliminate collective bargaining for state workers, although state unions would be able to negotiate only for wages.

Minnesota

Minn. panel delves into Dayton's public works bill

Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton's $1 billion public works bill gets its first look in the Republican-controlled Legislature on Wednesday.

Marsha Neff: 'Right to work' laws lead to lower wages, less health ...
Minnesota unions and employers can only negotiate contract provisions that ... Under "right to work" laws, unions must represent every eligible employee

Pennsylvania

No repeat of Wisconsin labor fight in Pennsylvania, Corbett says

Don't look for Gov. Tom Corbett to push Wisconsin-style concessions on the state's labor unions when he sits down for contract negotiations this year.

Pennsylvania labor groups vow to fight 'right-to-work' bill

Leaders of organized labor say they'll fight any "right-to-work" bill to ban mandatory union membership in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Senate Democrats unveil plan to bolster job creation

Democrats in the state Senate on Wednesday unveiled a wide-ranging plan to bolster job creation and investment in Pennsylvania.

Unions in Pa. stand up for their rights
Next week representative Metcalfe will reintroduce the right to work bill. This bill targets private sector employees; those employees won't be forced to pay union fees but are still allowed union representation. The AFL-CIO is against it and doesn't ...

Pa. Unions Weigh In On Collective Bargaining Battles In Other States
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett and Republicans in the House and Senate said they haven't even talked about stripping unions of bargaining rights. The governor has reportedly said if a right to work bill landed on his desk, he'd sign it. ...

Michigan

Bill seeks halt to step increases for Michigan teachers
Outside, in front of the Capitol building, about 2000 police officers, firefighters and other union members protested myriad bills and plans that would make Michigan a right-to-work state, repeal binding arbitration, tax pensions, and allow emergency

Missouri

Midwest labor protests don't worry Missouri lawmakers
BY Audrey Moon JEFFERSON CITY — Even before the multistate debate on negotiating labor contracts swept across the Midwest, proposals to take on organized labor emerged in Missouri's legislature. The measure, termed by supporters as "right-to-work,"

New Hampshire

Right to Work laws create disharmony in workplaceI | The Morning ...
Maine news, sports, weather from Waterville Morning Sentinel ... Under economic analysis, Right to Work laws and the states that employ them provide

Maine

Maine Lawmaker hauls to Wisconsin
On Wednesday, Russell said LePage's announced support of a “right-to-work” proposal by Rep. Tom Winsor, R-Norway, looks to preclude a foray into union policy. This proposal would make it so those who work at unionized businesses would not be mandated ...

New Jersey

NJ: NJ gov backs 'responsible' collective bargaining
Governor Chris Christie, who gained a national reputation fighting the state's teachers and public employee unions, said Wednesday that organized labor should have collective bargaining rights.