The Great Union Battle of 2011:Balancing Budgets or Waging Waron Working People?“We’re going to reform government,” Ohio governor JohnKasich told state legislators on March 8, 2011, as he gavehis first “state of the state” speech. As he spoke, more than1,000 firefighters—state employees—crowded the lobbyoutside the doors of the legislative chamber and chanted inunison, “Kill the bill! Kill the bill! Kill the bill!”So what was going on? Ohio was facing a desperateeconomic situation—the state government was $8 billionin debt. Governor Kasich believed one major cause of thatenormous deficit was past agreements made between stateofficials and public employee unions, including firefighters,police, and teachers.As Kasich saw it, the problem was a system that givespublic employee unions too much power and threatens tobankrupt the state. Under that system, unions effectivelyrequire every public employee to be a union member andto pay hefty dues through payroll deductions. These dues give unions huge political power to elect Democratic lead-ers who, in the past, have signed off on labor contracts that exceed what workers in the private sector earn andwhich the state simply cannot afford. The reforms Kasichand the Republican-controlled state government enacted included new laws that would continue collective bargain-ing by public employee unions for salary but no longer allow it as the means to set benefits. In addition, pay wouldbe linked to a performance-based merit system rather than seniority, and public employee unions would no longer beallowed to strike.Harold Schaltberger, representing the InternationalAssociation of Fire Fighters, saw the “reforms” as nothingless than a war on unions. The proposed change, he claimed, “moves us back decades, to when there were no true work-ers’ rights.” In the fall of 2011, they succeeded when a major-ity of voters supported the union position. In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker was electedin 2010 on a platform of reducing that state’s budgetdeficit by cutting the power of public employee unions. On March 11, 2011, he signed a bill passed by that state’s leg-islature limiting collective bargaining by public employees to wages (not benefits), limiting wage increases to the inflationrate, and decreasing the share the government contributestoward health care and retirement pensions. The new law,which has already been challenged in the courts, also gavegovernment workers the right to join or not to join a union.As they did in Ohio, unions organized in opposition to thisnew law by seeking to remove Scott Walker from office. But,in this case, the outcome was a defeat for the unions: Walkersurvived a recall election in 2012 and Wisconsin added a“right-to-work” law in 2015. Because many states—as well as the federal govern-ment—are facing large budget deficits, the recent conflicts surrounding public employee unions are likely to be repeatedacross the country in the future.What Do You Think? 1. Do you think all workers—including government employ-ees—should have the right to form unions? Explain.2. Should public service employees receive roughly thesame pay and benefits earned by comparable workersin the private sector? What about firefighters and policewho face danger in their daily work?3. Do you support the position taken by Governors Kasichand Walker to reduce union power? Or do you sidewith these unions and want to see them remain strong?Explain.
The Great Union Battle of 2011:
Balancing Budgets or Waging War
on Working People?
“We’re going to reform government,” Ohio governor John
Kasich told state legislators on March 8, 2011, as he gave
his first “state of the state” speech. As he spoke, more than
1,000 firefighters—state employees—crowded the lobby
outside the doors of the legislative chamber and chanted in
unison, “Kill the bill! Kill the bill! Kill the bill!”
So what was going on? Ohio was facing a desperate
economic situation—the state government was $8 billion
in debt. Governor Kasich believed one major cause of that
enormous deficit was past agreements made between state
officials and public employee unions, including firefighters,
police, and teachers.
As Kasich saw it, the problem was a system that gives
public employee unions too much power and threatens to
bankrupt the state. Under that system, unions effectively
require every public employee to be a union member and
to pay hefty dues through payroll deductions. These dues
give unions huge political power to elect Democratic lead-
ers who, in the past, have signed off on labor contracts
that exceed what workers in the private sector earn and
which the state simply cannot afford. The reforms Kasich
and the Republican-controlled state government enacted
included new laws that would continue collective bargain-
ing by public employee unions for salary but no longer
allow it as the means to set benefits. In addition, pay would
be linked to a performance-based merit system rather than
seniority, and public employee unions would no longer be
allowed to strike.
Harold Schaltberger, representing the International
Association of Fire Fighters, saw the “reforms” as nothing
less than a war on unions. The proposed change, he claimed,
“moves us back decades, to when there were no true work-
ers’ rights.” In the fall of 2011, they succeeded when a major-
ity of voters supported the union position.
In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker was elected
in 2010 on a platform of reducing that state’s budget
deficit by cutting the power of public employee unions. On
March 11, 2011, he signed a bill passed by that state’s leg-
islature limiting collective bargaining by public employees to
wages (not benefits), limiting wage increases to the inflation
rate, and decreasing the share the government contributes
toward health care and retirement pensions. The new law,
which has already been challenged in the courts, also gave
government workers the right to join or not to join a union.
As they did in Ohio, unions organized in opposition to this
new law by seeking to remove Scott Walker from office. But,
in this case, the outcome was a defeat for the unions: Walker
survived a recall election in 2012 and Wisconsin added a
“right-to-work” law in 2015.
Because many states—as well as the federal govern-
ment—are facing large budget deficits, the recent conflicts
surrounding public employee unions are likely to be repeated
across the country in the future.
What Do You Think?
1. Do you think all workers—including government employ-
ees—should have the right to form unions?
Explain.
2. Should public service employees receive roughly the
same pay and benefits earned by comparable workers
in the private sector? What about firefighters and police
who face danger in their daily work?
3. Do you support the position taken by Governors Kasich
and Walker to reduce union power? Or do you side
with these unions and want to see them remain strong?
Explain.
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