ALBANY -- As Wisconsin's governor is embroiled in a fight over fundamental guarantees for organized labor, the struggle between New York's governor and the unions appears to feature more hype than bite so far.
Republican Gov. Scott Walker wants to end collective bargaining rights for Wisconsin's public workers. He says taxpayers there can no longer afford the growth in wages and benefits.
Back in New York, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has threatened layoffs and a freeze on public salaries, which grew 14 percent over the last years of recession.
But E.J. McMahon of the Manhattan Institute says Cuomo hasn't mounted a real threat to the basic power of the unions.
And Robert Ward of the Rockefeller Institute notes that labor's response to Cuomo has been less harsh than attacks on previous governors.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Monday afternoon update:
Central New York union leaders and labor relations experts are keeping a close eye on the showdown over union rights in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he won't negotiate over his plan to strip most collective bargaining rights from nearly every public employee. Walker said at a news conference in his conference room in the Capitol Monday afternoon that he won't accept any compromises. Democrats and the unions say they would accept an increase in the cost of benefits, but not removal of collective bargaining rights. Walker rejects that idea. Senate Democrats skipped town Thursday and say they won't return unless Walker is willing to make concessions.
"This is nothing short of union busting," says local CSEA spokesman Mark Kotzin, who points out that Wisconsin state workers have agreed to givebacks on pensions and health care. Kotzin, who says the anti-union climate is the worst he's seen it in 22 years of union activity, says the proposed law, which would end collective bargaining rights for the state unions, is "part of a carefully crafted national plan" to make public workers the scapegoats in the financial mess they did not create.
Kotzin says he does not thing the same proposals will be in New York in this budget cycle, because Governor Cuomo is more attuned to the benefits of collective bargaining. But, he is concerned - and expects a fight here - on other union rights, including the proposed repeal of the Triborough Law which would change bargaining under the state's Taylor Law.
Kotzin says the NY CSEA's executive vice president and treasurer are in Wisconsin, offering support. The feeling is that the Wisconsin showdown could polarize labor and heighten awareness on the value of organized labor.
'Trade Union rights are considered to be a backbone of democracy," says SU Professor Christina Sickles Merchant, a long-time labor mediator who now also teaches public administration students how to deal with unions at the Maxwell School.
She, like many observers, is surprised that Wisconsin is the battleground, given that the state has led the country in instituting labor practices like collective bargaining. Merchant says the governor has been pushed to the wall by the financial crisis, but questions this move. "You're gonna miss them if you demonize public employees," she says.
Merchant says union workers are being blamed for the financial mess that states are finding themselves in, 'which they're not.' The concern is that bargaining also solves many non-money issues, including working conditions.
Merchant also says that suspending collective bargaining would not end the state's money issues.: 'If anything actually happens," which she doubts, Merchant says the unions will have it tied up in court, an expensive proposition for the already money-strapped state.
Original story from Monday morning:
All eyes are on Wisconsin and the battle over collective bargaining rights. The state's governor, Scott Walker, is making good on a campaign promise to effectively eliminate collective bargaining rights for most public employees. The result: massive protests by teachers and other public workers who want to maintain their right to negotiate.
It is a high-stakes stalemate with, for now, no end in site. What is certain -- it has captured the nation's attention. The end result could have wide-ranging implications, and could be a pre-cursor to what will happen in other states.
New York is home to some very powerful unions, the AFL-CIO, CSEA, Public Employees Federation and New York State Teachers Union, among others. You can bet they are all keeping a close eye on the situation in the Midwest.
Wisconsin's governor says his plan is all in an effort to help balance a $3.6 billion budget shortfall and avoid widespread layoffs. If approved, it would make workers pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care premiums. State employees' costs would go up by an average of 8 percent.
There is no doubt, this is a story that's captivating the country with strong opinions on both sides of the issue.
One reader tells CNY Central, "I'm not a fan of unions however, I don't believe ending all collective bargaining rights is the answer. In an effort to reduce costs and taxes the employee's should be contributing to retirement and health-care similar to the majority of all industry in today's market."
Another says, "It used to be that you got a raise when you showed the boss; good attendance, quality product and good quantity, not just because you've been there a year and the paperwork says your due."
Would you support an end to collective bargaining rights here in New York? What if the protests that are gripping the halls of the state legislature in Wisconsin were happening in Albany? Would you side with the unions or not? Leave your thoughts below.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.
