Reporting from Washington — More than 700 bills have been introduced in virtually every state. Nearly half of the states are considering legislation to limit public employees' collective bargaining rights. Unions are girding for a fight.
Now that the governors of Ohio and Wisconsin have signed bills to limit public workers' collective bargaining rights, their fellow Republicans in other states are expected to gain momentum in their efforts to take on unions.
"Now it's Tennessee's turn," the state's Republican lieutenant governor, Ron Ramsey, said in a recent letter posted on his Facebook page. Citing Ohio and Wisconsin, he urged support for legislation that would "prevent government employee unions from locking taxpayers into long-term union contracts that we cannot afford."
The National Conference of State Legislatures is tracking an explosion of 744 bills that largely target public-sector unions, introduced in virtually every state.
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