Unions and conservatives eye the next labor battleground
Whether right-to-work legislation is pushed next in Ohio or elsewhere, the battle will be fierce
Topics: Ohio, Michigan, Right-to-work, Koch Brothers, Labor Rights, Unions, union busting, News
The passing in Michigan of right-to-work legislation delivered a severe blow this week to the labor movement. Now as union activists and their supporters strategize on how to push back against the national, Koch-backed onslaught against labor rights, right-to-work advocates seek their next battleground.
According to a report by Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman at Politico, the union counteroffensive is setting its sights on fighting conservative state leaders in next year’s gubernatorial elections, particularly in the Midwest. Via Politico:
The AFL-CIO has already built up sizable campaign operations in Pennsylvania, Florida, Nevada and Wisconsin – the site of a titanic 2012 gubernatorial recall fight – in addition to Ohio and Michigan, union officials said. The labor giant deployed new staff to those states about a year ago as part of what AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka has called the “permanent infrastructure” of national unions.
… Labor leaders have vowed to make Snyder regret signing the “right to work” law he approved this week. Beyond Michigan, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett have appeared vulnerable in polling.
Meanwhile, conservative groups behind the union-busting pushes in 24 states, now including Michigan, are eying the next states in which to push similar legislation. “But the search for the next Michigan could be difficult,” noted the Washington Post, as angered labor rights defenders are uniting and vowing to fight harder. The Post looked to state leaders to get a sense of where right-to-work might go next:
Continue Reading CloseNatasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com. More Natasha Lennard.



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