Stateline Headlines

South, West Lead Nation In Public Service Hiring

In the South and West, state and local government filled 270,000 new positions last year, eighty percent of the total non-federal public service hiring and a number that shows how these regions are growing. Overall 1998 state and local hiring also continued to expand, according to a new study by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.

Texas, California and Georgia Lead In High-Tech Job Growth, Report Says

The booming United States high-tech industry has created more than one million jobs since 1993 and provides a total annual payroll of more than $240 billion, according to Cyberstates 3.0, a report issued earlier this month by the American Electronics Association. The report shows that the U.S. high-tech industry employed 4.8 million workers in 1998, with Texas, California, Georgia, Colorado and Washington leading the way.

Mega-Stores Hitting Political Flak In Several States

Preventing mega-stores such as Wal-Mart and Costco from chewing up competitors is on the agenda of more than just anti-growth groups and environmentalists these days. Policy makers in states and communities are considering restricting so-called "big-box" stores. California Gov. Gray Davis last week vetoed a bill aimed at limiting the growth of these stores. The issue has also been joined in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Alaska Household Income Tops, Census Bureau Says

Median household incomes have shot up four years in a row, making 1998 the year with the highest income levels ever recorded, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In newly-released reports, it said Alaska had the highest 1998 median household income, $49,717. New Jersey came in second with $49,297, followed by Maryland with $48,714; Washington State with $46,339 and Connecticut with $45,589. The number of people living below the poverty level dropped to 12.7 percent in 1998, down from 13.3 percent in 1997. New Mexico had the sharpest decline in poverty, followed by Virginia, while North Dakota showed an increase of 2.1 percent.

Louisiana Election Looks Like No Contest For Governor

Louisiana voters go to the polls on Saturday to begin the process of electing a governor. Incumbent Republican Mike Foster seems a shoo-in for a second term. Until this week, the only question mark was whether Foster would be pushed into a Nov. 20 runoff with his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, because of the crowded field of candidates competing for votes. But the latest polls suggest the race will be a runaway even though Foster has not had a scandal-free first four years in office.

States Take The Lead On Minimum Wage

The movement toward a higher minimum wage accelerated this year as four states voted to set wages above the federal floor of $5.15 an hour. Ten states and the District of Columbia now require employers to pay more than the federal minimum. As more states raise wage levels, they pressure Congress to act. While a federal increase is unlikely this year, analysts predict a minimum wage hike in 2000.

Welfare Leavers Find Jobs But Not Benefits, Study Finds

Since the launch of welfare reform, critics have complained that the sole focus of the program is to decrease the number of people on public assistance, but that no one has been tracking what happens to them afterwards. Researchers in Washington State want to change that, and have just released the first year results of a study that will track the experiences of 3,000 welfare-to-work families over five years.

Living Wage Issue Causes Battles in States

Ethiopian immigrants Temesgen Hagos and Makonen Habtemarian brought their families to the United States more than eight years ago hoping to free them of the poverty and political turmoil they had endured all their lives. But after arriving in this country, they found the shadow of poverty was still with them. Thanks to a "liveable wage" ordinance passed last year in the community in which they live, both men's financial situation has improved dramatically. But a heated debate about such measures rages in many states.

Nursing Profession Isn't Diverse Enough, Study Finds

As troubling as the nursing shortage is for the country, experts say the profession also has another problem -- it isn't diverse enough. According to researchers at the University of California's Center for the Health Professions, nursing seriously lags in reflecting racial differences of the patients being served..

State Programs Offer Alternative to Layoffs

Nineteen states have tailored their labor laws to allow employers to cushion the impact of economic slowdowns on their workers. These so-called work share programs are helping to ease the pain of layoffs.

Momentum For Paid Family Leave Grows

October 21 - From Vermont to Hawaii, states are hopping on the paid family leave bandwagon, with California leading the way. The Golden State in September created a sweeping new program that will pay workers half their salaries when they take time off to care for sick family members or newborns.

Illinois Labor Flexes New Political Muscle

While statehouses across the nation turned more Republican this year, Illinois went solidly Democratic. The party took control of the governors office for the first time in 26 years, ended 10 years of Republican rule over the state Senate and padded its majority in the House. This gives organized labor its best shot since the 1970s of moving its agenda.

Workers' Comp: A Brewing Crisis for States?

Double-digit hikes in what employers pay for workers compensation have state lawmakers scrambling to figure out ways to cut costs. The governors of Florida, Washington and West Virginia all called special sessions this year to look at the system that pays for medical care and provides cash benefits for workers injured on the job. Florida and West Virginia approved significant changes while Washingtons were more limited.

Keystone State Extends Same-Sex Benefits

Pennsylvania recently became the sixth state to allow gay and lesbian employees to use family or sick leave time to care for their domestic partner. The provision allowing use of sick leave, which had been on the table in union negotiations for more than a decade, was included in a four-year contract between the state and 13,000 unionized workers.

Contracting Out IT Jobs Vexes States

States are wrestling over whether they should contract out or "outsource" their information technology projects to private companies, including those located overseas. While farming out state high-tech work may be cheaper and more efficient, state politicians are leery of the possible voter backlash about losing state jobs to foreign companies, industry and government officials said.

Federal Overtime Rules: New Headaches for States

Workers and employers arent the only ones scratching their heads over new federal workplace overtime rules. The new overtime rules are causing confusion in states and rancor on the campaign trail and on Capitol Hill. The U.S. House of Representatives voted Sept. 9 to block the new rules, but observers dont expect the action to hold up to stiff GOP opposition and a White House veto threat. The outcome of the November elections could well determine whether the new federal requirements stand and whether states that have their own overtime rules decide to keep them.

Ohio Tries to Unclog Courts by Limiting Asbestos Suits

Ohios first-in-the-nation attempt to curb the tens of thousands of asbestos injury lawsuits filed in the state became law this month. But the battle over the controversial tort reform measure has just begun.

Study: Health Costs for Workers Rising

Health insurance premiums for workers in 35 states have risen at least three times faster than average earnings, according to a new report released by a liberal consumer group. The report includes state-by-state data.

Minimum Wage Set to Rise in Five States

Employers in five states Illinois, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington will dole out fatter paychecks to their lowest-paid workers in 2005. Florida will soon follow suit voters there approved a constitutional amendment that will hike its minimum wage to $6.15 per hour sometime next year.

New Year Rings in Many New State Laws

New state laws that go into effect on Jan. 1 will mean fatter paychecks for minimum wage workers in five states. But some rowdy sports fans had better beware, and skateboarding kids in New York will have to don helmets.

Inmates Gladly Take on Odd Jobs for Low or No Pay

Gone are the days of the chain gang. Today, states are finding more creative uses for felons, from saving retired thoroughbreds in Kentucky to growing poinsettias for state buildings in Iowa to fighting mudslides in California. The work saves millions for states and gives inmates something worthwhile to do.

Pensions Pose Time Bombs for Budgets

The looming retirement of baby boomers in the state government work force is prompting fears that pension payouts will bust state budgets. Experts say states, cities and counties are short $292.4 billion in money promised through their public retirement systems, spurring efforts from Alaska to Massachusetts to reform their public pension plans.

The Wal-Mart Struggle: Shaping America's Future

The Wal-Mart Watch campaign, a labor-environmental group highly critical of America's mega-mega retailer, recently launched more than 1,000 events nationwide for its Higher Expectations Week.

Md. vote may pave way for 'Wal-Mart' bills

Round two in the battle over whether states should require large employers such as Wal-Mart to spend a certain amount on employee health benefits could get under way this week in Washington state. Workers' rights advocates, bolstered by enactment of a new Maryland law, plan to push similar measures in 30 other states this year.

States Lead Way on Minimum Wage Hikes

Click image to enlarge Nearly one-half of Americans now live in states that require wages higher than the $5.15 an hour set by Congress nine years ago And the trend of states raising their minimum wages in the face of federal inaction shows no sign of fading.

Western Governors Back Bush Guest-Worker Plan

Fourteen Western governors threw their political weight behind President Bush on the issue of immigration Tuesday (Feb. 28), formally endorsing reforms including a guest-worker program that would allow thousands more immigrants to receive visas each year. The governors' resolution comes as Congress considers dramatically conflicting versions of immigration reform.

Job Benefits for Gay Partners Targeted

A second front in the battle over same-sex marriage is opening over whether public employers should offer spousal benefits, such as health coverage or family leave, to partners of gay workers. Wisconsin and Alaska are among a handful of states where courts and legislatures are wrestling with whether to go beyond banning same-sex marriage and also bar employee partnership benefits.

States Silence Musical Copycats

Platters pretenders and conning Coasters beware -- states are cracking down on copycat musical groups who steal gigs from authentic artists and cheat fans. Five states have laws requiring that performing groups include at least one original member in order to use a group's name in advertisements or performances, and more states are considering following suit.

Wages, Property Rights on '06 Ballots

Democrats in 2006 hope to use ballot initiatives to boost the minimum wage in the same way Republicans used gay marriage bans in 2004 -- to draw like-minded voters to the polls. Minimum wage and gay marriage are among more than 100 ballot measures in 25 states, along with abortion, immigration and stem cell research. But shaping up as the sleeper issue of 2006 -- on the ballot in at least 10 states -- is a backlash against government's powers of eminent domain.

States Ranked on Pocketbook Issues

Texans are more likely than citizens in any other state to be living without health insurance. Women in Wyoming have the least earning power compared to men, and more Mississippians on average live in poverty than anywhere in the country.Those developments are part of a snapshot of Americans' economic situation released by the Census Bureau Aug. 29.

2006 Is Year of Surpluses, Social Issues

State legislatures broke new ground in 2006 with a historic health care initiative in Massachusetts, a sweeping measure in California to combat global warming, and a strict abortion ban in South Dakota. The year also will be remembered for budget surpluses that let states splurge on projects as unconventional as a spaceport in New Mexico. Two of the most popular policies were hikes in the minimum wage, passed by 11 states, and self-defense laws allowing greater use of deadly force, adopted by 14 states, an exclusive Stateline.org survey shows.

Minimum-Wage Hikes Sweep States

Voters in a record number of states will decide Nov. 7 whether to hike the minimum wage, continuing an unprecedented two-year trend of state action on an issue that remains bottled up in Congress. In the past two years, more states have raised their minimum-wage rates than in the 68-year-history of the federal minimum wage law. Political analysts on both sides of the issue agree that recent fervor for the issue is as much related to politics as it is to policy. function popup() { javascript:mywindow=window.open('http://www.stateline.org/live/digitalAssets/3398_min_wage.html','mywindow','width=445,height=520,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,status=no,toolbar=no,resizable=no');mywindow.focus();screen_height = window.screen.availHeight; screen_width = window.screen.availWidth; left_point = parseInt(screen_width/2)-(370/2); top_point = parseInt(screen_height/2)-(430/2); setTimeout('mywindow.moveTo(left_point,top_point)',100);void(0); }

Property Rights a Popular Question on Ballots

A new feature on Stateline.org's interactive 2006 Elections Guide shows that property rights is the hottest new topic on state ballots, cropping up in 13 states, while Arizona outnumbers any of the 36 states to feature ballot measures Nov. 7. The new database is the most comprehensive list to date of the social, tax and reform proposals spicing up state election slates this fall. See a summary of every statewide ballot measure, with a link to the official text.

S.D. Abortion Ban, Ariz. Gay Marriage Ban Fail

(Updated 4:19 p.m. EST, Thursday)Arizona became the first state to reject a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage, while South Dakota voters refused to make their state a test case in the fight to outlaw abortion. The 2006 election featured 205 ballot measures in 37 states, many focused on social issues -- from stem cell research in Missouri to a repeal of affirmative action in Michigan.

Congress, States Pledge Wage Hikes

In the wake of overwhelming voter approval of minimum wage initiatives in six states on Election Day, politicians in at least three more states - Illinois, Iowa and New Mexico -- have vowed to raise wages as soon as their legislative sessions open. But the new Democratic congressional leadership also has announced plans to raise workers' pay in its first 100 days, a move that could take the wind out of state efforts to boost wages.

Sick Leave Tops State Labor Agendas

Now that a majority of states have boosted wages above the federal minimum, lawmakers in at least seven states want to guarantee workers paid sick days. Buoyed by overwhelming approval of a San Francisco ballot initiative that would allow workers at least nine sick days per year, lawmakers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Vermont, Maine, Montana, Michigan and Maryland are expected to propose similar measures.

States Outpace Feds on Minimum Wage

When the new federal minimum wage takes effect July 24, 30 states will require employers to pay hourly workers more than federal law requires.

Live from New York, uh, Jersey!

New Jersey lawmakers fume that their state does the work but New York gets the glory. A bubblegum-rock song inspired by a North Carolina bureaucrat gives new meaning to the term "elevator music." And preschoolers make fun of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D). In case you missed any of those stories this week, "Worth Noting" fills you in.

No double-spacing? No funds for you!

First Dog Jag Iowa's Department of Education punishes state school districts for not following instructions. Michigan's Republican Party struggles with the German language. And Montana's first dog releases a tell-all memoir. In case you missed those stories this week, "Worth Noting" fills you in.

State employees to N.J. gov: 'No thanks'

Thanksgiving is a national holiday that reconciles the haves and the have-nots. But the day after Thanksgiving is a sore point, at least for state workers in New Jersey who don't have the day off for only the second time in 45 years.

New Jersey Enacts Paid Family Leave

New Jersey this month joined California and Washington in adopting family leave insurance plans that allow workers to take time off with pay to care for sick family members or newborn and newly adopted children. New York and Oregon are expected to consider similar laws next year.

State Workers: Thank God It's Thursday

(Updated 1:45 p.m. EDT, June 30, 2008)In the face of $4-a-gallon gasoline, Utah is imposing four-day workweeks for most of its state employees in a newly invigorated trend at the state and local level to combat record-high energy costs.

State Workers Face Bleak Budget Picture

(Updated 11:40 a.m. EST, Oct. 3, 2008)The economic downturn has hit states hard, and among those feeling the effects are state employees, whose salaries are being frozen, who are retiring before they wanted to, who are being asked to take furloughs, or unpaid days off, and who, in an estimated 7,000 cases, have been laid off.

Economic Crisis — State perspective

Unemployment hits double digits in Michigan. Several states seeing surging Medicaid rolls. A cost-cutting experiment in Utah fails to deliver expected results. Click here for today's perspective on how the economic crisis is affecting states.

Four-Day Workweek Grows on Utahns

The U.S. Postal Service has suggested cutting one day of mail delivery a week. Now California is about to shut down state government every other Friday. One state - Utah - already is experimenting with four-day-a-week government, with encouraging results.

States Shave Workforce to Save Money

State employees, once thought to have one of the most secure jobs with the best benefits, are increasingly worried as the recession deepens and states look to trim their salaries to balance their budgets.

Tracking the Recession: Who Really Decides Whether to Take Unemployment Money

While some Republican governors are making headlines by threatening to turn down economic stimulus money aimed at enticing states to expand unemployment benefits to more low-income workers, the decision is not up to them. It's a decision for state legislatures, and some are expected to say, "No thanks."

Tracking the Recession: Car Dealer Closings Will Add to State Budget Woes

The decline of the U.S. auto industry is draining revenue from state governments and increasing spending on services.

Tracking the Recession: Prison Economics

FALLSBURG, N.Y. -- New York and other financially struggling states are trying to save millions of dollars by closing prisons. But a look at one rural community's anxiety over the closing of a local prison shows why it's a particularly challenging cost-cutting move.

Despite Stimulus, Schools Feel Budget Pain

The economic stimulus will help public schools and colleges survive the recession over the next two years. But in some states the fiscal situation is so precarious that schools are still going to suffer large cuts.

Weekly Wrap: California Faces July 1 Deadline

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) vows to let government operations come to a "grinding halt" if state lawmakers don't plug a $24 billion budget gap by July 1. As Detroit automakers GM and Chrysler deal with bankruptcy, Michigan announces the six dates that state government offices will close this summer to save money. For a quick update on the top recession news in the states, read Stateline.org's "Weekly wrap."

Weekly Wrap: Sales Tax Fight Splits GOP in Arizona

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) sues her own party over the budget. The U.S. labor department releases May unemployment data, and Illinois says it can't afford to pay for indigent burials. For a quick update on the top recession news in the states, read Stateline.org's "Weekly wrap."

Weekly Wrap: Feds Release Long-Awaited Stimulus job guidelines

The Obama administration tells state officials to take "a simple headcount" of jobs saved or created by the stimulus program. Meanwhile, the demand for some special jobs is soaring. Officials also warn states not to shortchange education when balancing budgets.

Furloughs Cut Into State Services

With states facing a $121 billion shortfall in the next fiscal year, a growing number of them have turned to squeezing their workforce for savings, and effects both great and small will be felt.

Minimum Wages to Rise in 31 States

Friday's minimum wage hike - the last in a series of three - will boost the wage floor from $6.55 an hour to $7.25 an hour.

Weekly Wrap: Recession Forcing Government Overhaul

Oregon, Louisiana launch review of government; Utah's four-day work week saves on energy costs; new pension report released.

Budget Cuts Drive DMV Changes

Drivers going to the department of motor vehicles will likely face longer lines and higher service fees in several states as recession-ravaged budgets force the shutdown of branch offices, a reduced work force and the need to raise revenue.

Mass. Health Connector, Other Innovations Honored

As the Obama administration and Congress debate the details of a national health care plan, the state that paved the way for universal coverage was honored in Washington, D.C.

Weekly Wrap: Recession Setting Records in Wisconsin, Oregon

Sales tax revenue drops for the first time in Wisconsin. Demand for food stamps and food boxes sets records in Oregon. Cigar-smoking Pennsylvania lawmakers reject tobacco tax increase.

Weekly Wrap: Louisiana Pleasantly Surprised by Haul From Tax Amnesty Program

More than $300 million is generated from delinquent Louisiana taxpayers; California finance chief hangs it up; Iowa Gov. Culver campaigns as problem solver; and stimulus Web site turns up boo-boos.

Labor Flexing Its Muscle in States

TODAY'S TAKE: State jobs have been a common target for governors and lawmakers seeking budget reductions. But labor unions in many states are fighting back, sometimes winning court decisions and political concessions to stave off cuts.

'Jobs Summit' on Tap at White House

TODAY'S TAKE: President Obama will convene a "jobs summit" at the White House on Thursday (Dec. 3), but talk of a second stimulus package is likely to be muted by the federal budget deficit, as well as next year's midterm congressional elections.

States Await Obama Jobs Plan

TODAY'S TAKE: State officials are eagerly awaiting a federal job-creation initiative to be outlined by President Obama today (Dec. 8). They hope it will include extended unemployment benefits, infrastructure money and other aid for their battered states.

Iowa Governor Touts 4-Day Workweek

TODAY'S TAKE: Iowa Gov. Chet Culver (D) is touting Utah's first-in-the-nation move to a four-day workweek for most executive-branch state workers, and he is pushing the proposal as a way to cut costs in his own state. Hawaii and Washington State have also tried the idea.

Summary of the Missouri State of the State Address

Picking up where he left off a year ago, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) declared Jan. 20 that creating private-sector jobs would be his top priority in the coming year through tax credits, recruitment of high-technology companies and increased job training.

Summary of the Tennessee State of the State Address

Term-limited Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) unveiled a new budget plan that would cut state spending and use up about $200 million in rainy day funds during his final state of the state address Feb. 1.

Govs Feel the Weight of Wielding Budget Ax

TODAY'S TAKE: Even for governors sounding the alarm about unbalanced budgets, the act of getting their states back in the black is easier said than done.

No Time to Pass the Bottle

With legislatures thirsty for revenue, getting states out of the booze business has its appeal. Advocates say states could generate millions by auctioning off licenses to sell alcohol. Breaking up state monopolies will also encourage more stores to open, bringing with them higher sales and income tax revenues, advocates argue.But barely a few weeks later, many of those proposals have died quietly. In Virginia and Mississippi, they were withdrawn by their sponsors. In Washington and Vermont, they are bottled up in committee. How could these heavily-touted revenue streams dry up so suddenly?

Vermont's Pension Experiment

Like many states, Vermont faces rising public employee pension costs while trying to close a budget shortfall. A state panel recommended cutting pension benefits, angering employee unions. Legislative leaders and the state treasurer tried something different: inviting the teacher's union for a series of private talks that ended with a novel compromise. So far, everyone's happy.

Thank God It's Furlough Friday?

TODAY'S TAKE: Today (April 2) is another Furlough Friday in California and New Mexico - two states that are employing a common cost-cutting strategy by having their workers take regular, unpaid days off. As The Wall Street Journal reports, it's not a bad deal for some state workers, either, as they're spending more time with their families and finding that businesses are targeting them for special offers.

Chris Christie's Budget Bruiser

TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey's new governor wants to erase one of the nation's largest budget deficits almost entirely with spending cuts. The governor's proposal has made him a villain to mayors, teachers, superintendents and other public employees. But Christie, perhaps more than any other governor these days, has captured the imagination of conservatives who admire his eagerness to take on powerful public worker unions.

In New Hampshire, a New Way on Retiree Health Costs

State and local governments across the country are wrestling with how to pay the medical bills of retired public-sector workers. New Hampshire is trying a model that won't solve the whole problem but almost certainly will help.

On the Ballot in Alaska: Transparency

After seeing money flow in unusual ways through a pair of controversial campaigns, Alaska has made some changes to its ballot initiative process. Also: Stateline's updated guide to what's on state ballots in 2010.

N.J. Teachers Rush Into Retirement

TODAY'S TAKE: Chris Christie, the outspoken New Jersey governor who has become synonymous with spending cuts, appears to have instilled fear in state labor unions. New numbers show that teachers, in particular, are retiring in waves, apparently fearful that the Christie administration will go after their pensions and benefits.

After Court Ruling, California's Furlough Fridays Are Back

TODAY'S TAKE: Fifty days into yet another budget standoff in Sacramento, some of the familiar signs of California's fiscal crisis are on their way back. Today (Aug. 20) marks the return of Furlough Fridays.

Slowdown on the Public-Private Express

Just a few years ago, there was a rage for public-private highway projects. They're still being done, but on a much smaller scale.

A Mixed Track Record for Idea to Lure Jobs

TODAY'S TAKE: Republican candidates for governor in Iowa and Ohio have proposed similar strategies for attracting businesses to their respective states. Both former U.S. Rep John Kasich of Ohio and former Gov. Terry Branstad in Iowa want to replace a state agency tasked with the job with a board of business leaders that reports to the governor, but other states that have tried that tack have encountered problems.

Liquor Privatization on Tap in Pennsylvania, Too?

TODAY'S TAKE: Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett is the latest Republican to propose a major privatization project to raise revenues. Corbett wants to the privatize the state's liquor stores.

A Hidden Side to New Jersey's Privatization Push

Chris Christie's administration recommended contracting out 40 state services to the private sector. It's one that wasn't on the list that's spurring the most controversy.

States to Try Outsourcing Economic Development

Which works best - a government-run business promotion agency or a private one? We're about to learn some lessons.

Alabama Ethics Law Angers Teachers Union

TRANSITION WATCH: Alabama Republicans restrict payroll deductions used to boost a leading teachers' group, Wisconsin Democrats' last gasp at contracts for public workers fails and more news of the historic shift in power in the states.

In New Year, Seven States to Hike Minimum Wage

Nine to twelve cents isn't a lot, but those small, automatically triggered increases in the minimum wage will provide a modest New Year's present for workers in a minority of states that automatically increase their minimum wage levels at the start of every year.

States may outsource economic development

MANAGEMENT BEAT: Privatization plans unfold in Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin ... Governor Kasich reconsiders leasing the Ohio Turnpike ... Governor Haley takes a combative stance with South Carolina unions, and other management news from the states.

Governors, Unions Brace for Battle

While union membership continues to shrink in the private sector and overall, a greater percentage of state and local government workers remains in unions. But some incoming governors are moving toward curbing union powers that one says "tilt too far in favor of public employees."

California Workers Choose Pensions Over Furloughs

MANAGEMENT BEAT: California workers retire in droves … Senate Republicans in Ohio tackle labor unions … New Jersey cracks down on lame-duck promotions, and other government management news.

Wisconsin Budget Proposal Hits State Workers

TODAY'S TAKE: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker proposed a budget on Friday (February 11) that puts an end to most collective bargaining rights for public worker unions and, according to the governor's own estimates, will cost the average state employee thousands of dollars a year.

Governors Set the Agenda For a Lean 2011

In yet another tough budget year, the nation's governors are generally setting a course for contracting the ambitions and role of state government.

Wisconsin Dems Flee, Union Discord Grows

TODAY'S TAKE: The battle in Wisconsin over the rights of public employee unions reached a standoff Thursday, as Democrats blocked further action by absenting themselves. The showdown prompted tens of thousands of protesters to swarm the Wisconsin Capitol.

Union Showdown Spreads

TODAY'S TAKE: With Wisconsin still engulfed protests, union members in several other Midwestern states are stepping up their efforts against proposals to weaken labor negotiating provisions. Indiana, Michigan and Ohio are all getting ready for hundreds of demonstrators inspired by the events in Madison.

Indiana Dems Flee to Block Anti-Union Bill

TODAY'S TAKE: At the same time Wisconsin senators are hiding out in Illinois, three dozen Indiana House Democrats also headed to the Land of Lincoln Tuesday to prevent their chamber from moving ahead with controversial bills weakening organized labor. One of the Indiana holdouts spoke with Stateline about the showdown.

After Union Protests, Next Steps in Wisconsin

MANAGEMENT BEAT: Avoiding a vote on a controversial right-to-work bill, Indiana Democrats flee the state ... A barrage of amendments for Walker's budget bill ... Questionable doctor's notes in Wisconsin, and other government management news.

Behind Collective Bargaining Debate, Mixed Experiences in the States

Indiana took away collective bargaining rights for state workers in 2005. Washington State added them in 2002. What difference does collective bargaining really make?

Governors in D.C. for Annual Meeting

TODAY'S TAKE: Dozens of governors arrive in Washington, D.C., this weekend for several days of meetings, including with President Obama. The economy will top their agenda, though labor relations and health care are likely to come up.

Idaho's Tom Luna Offers Sweeping School Overhaul Plan

If Idaho's school superintendent gets his way, the rights of teachers would be sharply curtailed.

California Looks to Current Workers' Pensions for Savings

MANAGEMENT BEAT: Pension commission argues for tough choices in California … Republican governors back off opposition to collective bargaining … No more "SWAG" in California, and other government management news.

Labor Union Discord Reaches New England

TODAY'S TAKE: Maine's Republican Governor Paul LePage wants public employees to work longer and pay more for their retirement benefits, igniting protests in Augusta resembling those recently seen in the Midwest.

Is Wisconsin Standoff Winding Down?

TODAY'S TAKE: Democrats who have fled Wisconsin to strip Republicans of a quorum on controversial labor legislation say they will return to Madison soon. The move would hand the GOP a short-term victory on collective bargaining rights, though Democrats say they will come out ahead in public opinion.

State Worker Strikes: Rare but Momentous

Public employee unions in Wisconsin are not talking about going on strike right now, but growing labor unrest increases the chances of a work stoppage. If state workers resort to picket lines, the consequences for both sides may be great.

State Hiring Freezes Tend to Melt Away

It's easy for a governor to announce a halt to new state employment. It's very difficult to maintain it.

Costa Mesa's Pink Slip Spending Plan

MANAGEMENT BEAT: A California city lays off nearly half of its workers … Illinois considers taking away bargaining rights for managers ... New Hampshire employers may gain new leverage, and other management and labor news.