Massachusetts Democrats Vote to Strip Unions of Bargaining Rights

By Jon E. Dougherty at 27 Apr 2011

(Newsroom America) -- The Massachusetts House voted Wednesday to strip police officers, teachers and most other municipal employees of their collective bargaining rights, in an effort to save the cities and towns millions of dollars in health care costs.

The House voted 111-42 to pass the measure follows similar bills - and votes - in Ohio, Wisconsin and other states. But unlike those states, when Republicans led the charge, today's vote in Massachusetts was led by Democrats, traditionally longstanding union allies, the Boston Globe reported.

Unions launched ad campaigns attacking the bill as an assault on organized labor. Union leaders warned lawmakers that they would lose union support if they voted for the measure.

"It’s pretty stunning," Robert J. Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, said. "These are the same Democrats that all these labor unions elected. The same Democrats who we contributed to in their campaigns. The same Democrats who tell us over and over again that they’re with us, that they believe in collective bargaining, that they believe in unions.

"It’s a done deal for our relationship with the people inside that chamber," he added, pledging to fight the legislation "to the bitter end."

The measure now heads to the Senate, where President Therese Murray has hinted she may have trouble supporting a bill that curbs union bargaining rights.

Collective bargaining for unionized government employees has become a heated subject in legislatures around the country, as cash-strapped state governments look for ways to reduce growing budget deficits and slash red ink.

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