Republicans in state capitols target unions

Associated Press

Republicans who swept into power in state capitols this year with promises to cut spending and bolster the business climate now are beginning to usher in a new era of labor relations that could result in the largest reduction of power in decades for public- employee unions.

But as massive public protests and legislative boycotts in Wisconsin this week have shown, the Republican charge can be fraught with risk and unpredictable turns as politicians try to transform campaign ideas into action.

The question GOP governors and lawmakers are facing is exactly how far they can go without possibly alienating voters they won over in the midterm elections last fall. Do they merely extract more money from school teachers, prison guards and office workers to help ease their states’ budget problems? Or do they go at the very core of union power by abolishing the workers’ right to bargain collectively? Do they try to impose changes by steamrolling the opposition or by coming to the bargaining table?

“The consequences will be rolling forth for many, many years,” said James Gregory, director of Center for Labor Studies at the University of Washington. “The battle lines have been drawn and will be replicated around the country. This is going to be very tough for unions and public-sector employees.”

In Wisconsin, new Republican Gov. Scott Walker is going for it all — the elimination of collective- bargaining rights for public employees plus sharp increases in their health- care and pension payments. His plan advanced quickly to the Republican-led Senate, despite several days of protests that drew tens of thousands of demonstrators to the Capitol. Then Senate Democrats suddenly fled the state, bringing the legislative process to a halt.

On Friday, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, urged people to show their support for Walker in what he described as “a defining moment for our country and the conservative movement.”

But some Republican governors want to avoid a showdown. “That’s not our path,” said new GOP Gov. Rick Snyder, who won election in neighboring Michigan, also on a pro-business agenda. He said he wants cost savings, too, but “I and my administration fully intend to work with our employees and union partners in a collective fashion.”

Wisconsin is the first battleground between Republicans and unions. But it is unlikely to be the last.

A similar proposal to strip public employees of collective-bargaining rights drew throngs of protesters Thursday at the Ohio Statehouse. Hundreds more have demonstrated in Tennessee and Indiana, where Republican-led committees have advanced bills to restrict bargaining rights for teachers unions. And governors from Nevada to Florida have been touting the need to weaken union powers and extract more money from government employees to help balance out-of-whack budgets.

The confrontation comes as organized labor is reeling from a steady loss of members in the private sector. The public sector, with about 7.6 million members, now accounts for the majority of workers on union rolls, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Among union leaders, a sense of crisis is growing. Labor is preparing to spend at least $30 million to fight anti-union legislation in dozens of states, according to internal budget numbers reviewed by The Associated Press. They’re lobbying local officials, organizing public rallies, working phone banks and buying television and newspaper ads in a desperate attempt to swing public opinion.

Labor plans to spend large amounts of money on battles in Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Missouri, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Unions see their goal as not just playing defense — as opponents chip away at bargaining rights — but going on offense to try to educate the public about the role of unions.