Republican leaders in several states softened their attacks on public-employee unions Thursday in an effort to avert the fiery demonstrations that have gripped Wisconsin’s capital.
In Ohio, Republican lawmakers agreed to modify a bill that would have banned collective bargaining, allowing state workers to negotiate on wages. But those lawmakers also expanded the law’s proposed prohibition on strikes to apply to all public workers, including teachers. The original measure applied the ban on strikes only by public-safety personnel.
The bill could come up for a vote in the full Senate as early as Tuesday, putting Ohio at the forefront of states poised to dramatically curtail the power of public employees.
Michigan’s GOP governor offered to negotiate with public employees rather than create political gridlock.
Likewise, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels called on GOP lawmakers to abandon a bill that would have made it a misdemeanor for an employer to require workers to become or remain members of a labor union. Most of Indiana’s Democratic lawmakers have also fled to Illinois and the Republicans who control the House have adjourned until Monday.
The Washington Post
