Highlights: WI Dems to file first recall petition; Poll: Americans back unions over Govs; FL Gov orders cuts to programs for disabled and demands state empl pay more; Kasich signs SB 5; Walker admin to comply with judicial order; MO first state to refuse federal stimulus program benefits for unemployed; Texas House considers using rainy day fund while rejecting idea privatizing jails; New Hampshire House passes devastating budget cuts and then repeals cap and trade, while making it harder to raise taxes on the wealthy; Full Scrooge Alert at http://dailyscroogealert.blogspot.com/

All Around

Poll: Americans back unions over governors in labor disputes
USA Today
By Catalina Camia, USA TODAY More Americans back state employee labor unions than the governors in states such as Wisconsin and Ohio that are trying to rein in costs by curbing collective bargaining rights, a new poll shows. Nearly half, or 48%

The New York Times has published a story about H-1B visas, generally used for foreign technology workers to be brought to the U.S. for three-year work terms. The visas are the topic of debate before a House of Representatives judiciary panel as some feel the visas are being misused to drive American wages down:

LETTER: Remember ideals that spawned collective bargaining rights
Dailyrecord.com
Now governors in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and elsewhere are trying to strip workers of their collective bargaining rights to satisfy the desires of their rich political donors. Using a phony and sometimes self-caused economic crisis,

Ohio

Gov. John Kasich signs Senate Bill 5 as supporters and opponents gear up for ...
Plain Dealer
The national conservative group, FreedomWorks, announced in March that it plans to spend $5.6 million in Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana and Tennessee, to influence the collective bargaining debate in the upcoming elections. FreedomWorks didn't return a call

Ohioans Can Overturn Anti-Labor Bill through Referendum—Again
Labor Notes
A related campaign: When Missouri's Republicans pushed a right to work bill in 1978, unions mobilized and put together the strongest coalition of progressive forces Missouri has ever seen—defeating right to work and dealing Republicans a lasting

OH: Ohio's anti-union law is tougher than Wisconsin's
After Wisconsin's labor battle seized the nation's attention, after nearly 100,000 people rallied in Madison to protest a bill to curb public-sector collective bargaining, the Ohio legislature has, with far less fanfare, enacted a bill perhaps even tougher on unions.

Wisconsin

Wis Dems to file first recall petition
Politico
... Wisconsin say they have enough signatures to file a petition to launch a recall effort against state Sen. Dan Kapanke, one of eight Republicans being targeted for his vote to restrict collective bargaining for most public sector works in the state.

Democrats: We have the signatures in Kapanke recall effort

La Crosse area Democrats say they will file petitions today with enough signatures to trigger a recall election of Sen. Dan Kapanke, one of eight Senate Republicans targeted over votes to curtail collective bargaining rights for public workers. If approved, it would be just the fifth recall election of a Wisconsin legislator.

WI: Walker administration will comply with judge's order halting collective bargaining law
The state's new law to dramatically limit collective bargaining for public workers has not been published and is not in effect, a judge said Thursday.

Universities unionize
Milwaukee News Buzz
“I don't see the organizing stopping,” Bryan Kennedy, president of AFT-Wisconsin, told the Bloomberg news service recently, adding that state officials are “going to have to pry collective bargaining rights from our cold, dead hands.

Indiana

South Bend march to recall King assassination
South Bend Tribune
The goal is to use the anniversary to show solidarity with unions and public workers who've been fighting legislative measures in states such as Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio. Unions have denounced those bills as threats to collective bargaining while

Missouri

MO: Missouri to drop extended benefits for unemployed
Thousands of people in Missouri who have been unemployed for more than a year soon will lose their jobless benefits, marking a significant victory for Republican fiscal hawks who are crusading against government spending. When eligibility ends Saturday, Missouri will become the only state to voluntarily quit a federal stimulus program that offers extended benefits.

Michigan

Dems looking to block changes in unemployment benefits

Democrats on Wednesday announced they will introduce a bill to block a reduction in state unemployment benefits that the Senate's Republican leader says is one of the Legislature's signature accomplishments in its first three months in power.

Minnesota

GOP bill slashes Minnesota education funding
Duluth News Tribune
Republican-led legislation that would overhaul the way Minnesota pays for K-12 education, change how teachers are paid and cut their collective bargaining rights faces a certain veto by DFL Gov. Mark Dayton. Republican-led legislation that would

Minnesota losing its new teachers
Minneapolis Star Tribune
It limits collective bargaining rights and eliminates teacher tenure. "Right now in Minnesota we have quality-blind layoffs ... it's strictly seniority-based. We're trying to change that," said Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, Education Finance

Pennsylvania

Mine workers to rally in Pa. for public employees
Lebanon Daily News
Union officials are touting the event as the first major labor rally in support of workers in Wisconsin and other states where, the UMWA claims, "public collective bargaining rights are under attack or have already been stripped from dedicated public

Florida

Senate -- State workers should pay more for health insurance

A new Senate proposal would force many state employees to pay thousands a dollars a year more for health insurance --- or choose skimpier coverage.

FL: Gov. Rick Scott orders immediate cuts to programs for disabled
Florida Gov. Rick Scott ordered deep cuts Thursday to programs that serve tens of thousands of residents with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and other developmental disabilities.

Maine

Ramifications of work bill
Lewiston Sun Journal
By James Hewey Gagne believes that the right-to-work bill that is moving through the Maine Legislature and other free-bargaining states is good for Maine. He was responding to a letter from David McKeone that was published March 9

We shouldn't be surprised
Times Record
LePage is also pushing for Maine to enact what proponents misleadingly call a “Right to Work” law that would let private-sector employees with a union get the benefits of a union without paying any dues. It's really a “Right to Freeload” law,

Texas

Plan to use $3.1B in rainy-day funds clears hurdle

The Texas House whittled away at the state's massive budget shortfall on Thursday, tentatively approving $1.5 billion in cuts to state agencies, universities and colleges and voting to spend $3.1 billion from the rainy-day fund.

House lawmakers propose privatizing all state jails

House lawmakers are considering a plan to privatize all of Texas' state jails for low-level felony offenders, a move they say could save the state up to $40 million.

New Hampshire

House repeals cap-and-trade

The New Hampshire House voted yesterday to end the state's participation in a cap-and-trade program aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

Over protests, House passes budget

The New Hampshire House yesterday approved a $10.3 billion state budget for 2012-13, over the protests of thousands of citizens who said the budget jeopardizes vital social services.

House supports higher tax threshold

A proposed constitutional amendment to require that 60 percent of New Hampshire lawmakers vote in favor of bills to borrow money and raise taxes and fees passed the House yesterday. Before the amendment could become law, it would have to be approved by the Senate and two-thirds of state voters.

Tennessee

Ramsey pledges end to union's power
The Daily News Journal
Ron Ramsey pleased a conservative audience Thursday by pledging to end collective bargaining for unions that protect jobs for bad teachers. "We want good teachers in the classroom," Ramsey told a crowd packing most of the seats at the Rutherford County ...

Column: Bill to prohibit maintenance of union dues passes
The Tennessean
Senate Bill 1031 amends the state's Right to Work law to prohibit maintenance of membership clauses in collective bargaining agreements. Tennessee is one of 22 Right to Work states across the nation which prohibit agreements between labor unions and

Alabama

Alabama legislator to propose education budget that shifts money for teacher salaries to support staff, other expenses

A top-ranking legislator on Wednesday said he will propose a revised education budget for next year that would spend $80 million less than Gov. Robert Bentley proposed for teachers' salaries, but spend $80 million more than Bentley proposed for utility bills, support workers' pay and other school operating expenses.