Stateline Headlines

Workers' compensation report makes sense

NJEA names new president, officers

New labor commissioner appointed

Utah Senate confirms Pierpont to head Workforce Services

Walker reports state added 32,000 jobs in 2012

Wisconsin adds 62,000 over past 2 years

A fixer's tale of attempted bribes

Teachers union files civil rights suits to stop school closings

Higher education officials say concealed carry on campus probably inevitable in the future

Labor Dept.: Time for Station nightclub owners to pay fine for lack of workers' comp coverage

With prejudice: Teachers union withdraws labor complaint

New Orleans firefighter pension changes pass Louisiana House

Baltimore's noble but flawed hiring bill

Governor Chafee withdraws pay raise proposal for R.I. agency heads

Washington Supreme Court reviews $100 million award for home care workers

Delaware panel seeks change in workers' compensation oversight

Miami-Dade unions face tough medicine to ensure county’s fiscal health

LePage accuses union of lying, ‘manufacturing a crisis’ over shutdown planning

Michigan bill would impose fines on unions for illegal picketing

Legislation would require consent for union member fee collections in Missouri

State's largest teacher union forms Super PAC

Assembly acts to extend farm workers' rights

Kasich's BWC proposal includes $113M going to schools, local governments

Measure requiring 4 work searches per week for jobless benefits advances

Schweitzer courts unions as he considers 2014

Vermont Senate defeats child care unionization bid

State budget panel holds up $63 million in WEDC funding over problems

Unions, lawmakers line up against Koch brothers

Minimum wage increase tabled

Bill protecting public workers from reprisals for providing information to legislators advances

Deadlines set by state for NYC teacher evaluations

Paid sick days are right, not a privilege

Lawmakers cite frustration with Wis. jobs board

Court bars notice to workers on right to unionize

State employees union drops complaint that LePage illegally contracted work

State union, governor’s office at odds over whether government shutdown is ‘inevitable’

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern ties right-to-work states with unemployment

State Rep. Ron Maag says employees earn more money in ‘right-to-work’ states

Oregon House narrowly approves workplace protections for domestic workers

Troubles mount for Gov. Scott Walker's jobs agency

Legislature OKs sanitation worker safety bill

3 former labor commissioners back wage increase

Cullerton counters with union-backed pension plan(2)

Cullerton counters with union-backed pension plan

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern ties right-to-work states with unemployment

State teachers union flexing sizable political muscle again

Michigan Supreme Court asks Snyder to justify request for opinion on right-to-work law

Michigan Supreme Court asks for right-to-work explanation

Shining a light on pension benefits

Pregnancy discrimination a real threat for some workers

Ohio's right to work

Ohio 'right to work' fight likely to resurface in state legislature

State store union hits the airwaves in booze battle

TN Labor chief's career rose fast, then tumbled

TN jobless benefits rank among lowest in nation

Lawsuits claim state labor officials forced out whites

House reauthorizes prison agency operations

State law attempts to make jobs program affordable

Wisconsin jobs agency failed in tracking taxpayer money, audit finds

Illinois Follows Nevada with Highest Unemployment

State unemployment numbers fluctuate and once again Nevada tops the country, but the state that comes in second is new.

With Big Changes, Can Labor Grow Again?

Labor union membership has been in steady decline for decades. Leaders are finally considering aggressive, unconventional strategies to grow their numbers. Is it too late?

Should States Get Out of the Booze Business?

Pennsylvania is as close as it has ever come to privatizing liquor sales following a House vote in March. Tricky questions await the Senate as it considers whether to modernize or dismantle the state’s multifarious system.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Retains Conservative Tilt

The Wisconsin high court’s perceived conservative tilt will remain after a justice was re-elected in Tuesday’s vote.

Balance of Power, Future of Key Issues at Stake in Wisconsin Court Race

Two years after one of the most contentious and bruising Supreme Court elections any state has ever seen, Wisconsin voters will return to the polls Tuesday to cast their votes in another judicial election.

The Latest in Office Supplies: Treadmills

Oregon state workers may test treadmill desks as a way to improve health and increase productivity.

Michigan Employee Unions Race to Beat Right-to-Work

Unions try to beat the clock and set long-term contracts before Michigan’s right-to-work law takes effect March 28. Legislature may respond with cuts to education.

Should Public Workers Have to Live Where They Work?

Municipal residency requirements have gradually become less common. State efforts to ban them can get ugly as cities fight to maintain their middle class population base.

Next Wave of State Minimum Wage Proposals Would ‘Index’ To Inflation

Nineteen states and D.C. already offer an hourly wage higher than the current federal $7.25 rate, and that could go even higher as several states weigh increases.

NFL Can’t Ask About Sexual Orientation, Says New York Attorney General

The NFL is in hot water with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman after reportedly asking potential college recruits about their sexual orientation. But less than half the states protect employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Governors Promote Employment for People With Disabilities

A yearlong initiative at the National Governors Association examines the roles that states and businesses can play in finding jobs for people with disabilities.

Labor Conference Mulls Big Questions About Future of Movement

Unions are considering ways to collaborate with community organizations that represent workers in a different way.

Illinois State Government Narrowly Averts Labor Strike

After more than 15 months of negotiations, Democratic Governor Pat Quinn and Illinois’ largest state-worker union have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract.

State and Local Government Employment Trends

State and local governments have shed 681,000 jobs since their peak in August 2008, by far the steepest drop of any recession in the last 50 years.

Pay Boost on the Horizon for Some State Workers

Far fewer people are working for state governments than before the recession began, but those who remain may get modest salary increases this year.

America’s Capital of Divided Government

As most states turn redder or bluer, Maine goes bright purple.

Pennsylvania Governor Wants State to Exit Liquor Business, Use Proceeds for Schools

Corbett on Wednesday unveiled a plan that would remove Pennsylvania from liquor business and funnel to schools proceeds from the sale of alcohol licenses.

Christie Vetoes Minimum Wage Hike, Offers Compromise

Governor Chris Christie has conditionally vetoed legislation that would have boosted New Jersey’s minimum wage. Instead, he proposed a compromise that New Jersey lawmakers appear unlikely to accept.

Issue to Watch: Collective Bargaining

While this year’s legislative battles in the states over collective bargaining rights are likely to be more restrained than previous years, the legislation put forward would still have a significant impact on employer-labor relationships, if passed.

Union Membership Continues Steady Decline in 2012

Union membership decreased nationally in 2012, including in traditional union strongholds.

The Uncertain Effects of Right-to-Work

Michigan and Indiana endured divisive and bruising political battles to enact right-to-work legislation in 2012. It will be years before the full impact on economic development and on labor unions becomes clear.

Election Year Brings Big Changes in State Policy

From battles in the legislatures to battles at the polls, Stateline reporters traveled all over the country in 2012 reporting on news from the states.

New Year Will Bring Higher Minimum Wages in 10 States

Nine states will adjust the wages to accommodate the rising costs of living, as required by state laws, while Rhode Island will implement a law signed by the governor in June. The wage hikes range between 10 and 35 cents per hour.

Amid Protests, Michigan Leaders Press for Quick Enactment of Right-to-Work Legislation

Michigan would be the 24^th state to pass legislation making it illegal to require workers to pay union fees as a condition of their employment.

New Jersey Lawmakers Send Minimum Wage Boost to Governor

Minimum wage workers in New Jersey would get a major raise under legislation that’s been sent to the governor’s desk. But it is unlikely Governor Chris Christie will sign the bill as is.

Illinois Union Spars with Governor, Legislature

The 40,000 Illinois state workers who belong to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees found themselves in unchartered territory last week after Governor Pat Quinn announced the termination of their contract after almost a year of negotiations.

Unions Make Strong Showing at the Polls

Labor won big contests in Indiana, California and New Hampshire, while results were mixed in Michigan.

Infographic: Ballot Measures Gave Voters Say on Divisive Issues

Voters in 38 states will decide 174 statewide ballot measures on Election Day. Are any on your ballot?

Report: States Face Growing Cybersecurity Threats

State governments are struggling to ward off millions of increasingly complex threats to the security of their technological systems each week, according to a new report about cybersecurity in the states from Deloitte and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers.

Hawaii Teachers Halt Labor Negotiations, Escalating Conflict

Strong unions and a liberal governor might seem well-positioned to get along with each other, but it isn’t working out that way in Hawaii.

Michigan Unions Seek Constitutional Protection

A ballot measure in Michigan would give labor’s collective bargaining rights an almost impregnable status.

Feds Slam Wisconsin Public-Private Partnership for Economic Development

Transferring control of Wisconsin’s economic development efforts from a state agency to a new public-private partnership was a focus of Governor Scott Walker’s campaign and one of the first things he accomplished when he took office.

N.J. Lawmaker to Replacement Refs: ‘Keep Out’

New Jersey’s Senate president plans to introduce legislation that would ban the use of replacement officials in professional sporting events played on state soil.

Public Strikes Explained: Why There Aren’t More of Them

Public employees have the right to strike in several of the nation’s largest states. But they rarely take the dramatic step of walking off the job.

California Overhauls Workers' Compensation

A new law in California is expected to reduce costs to employers while increasing payouts to some workers injured on the job.

Wisconsin Judge Strikes Down Collective Bargaining Restrictions

A county judge in Wisconsin has thrown out most of Governor Scott Walker’s law that severely restricts collective bargaining for public employees, throwing into question changes to contracts already negotiated under the year-old law.

GOP Targets State Construction Labor Projects

Nearly a dozen Republican governors have already made good on a promise that the GOP laid out as a national priority in Tampa last month: to end a policy that businesses say gives labor unions an unfair advantage when bidding on state construction projects.

Michigan’s Emergency Managers Seen as Major Threat by Labor

In Michigan, state-appointed emergency managers can assume vast powers over distressed localities. The state thinks that’s necessary. Localities and labor think it’s undemocratic.

S.C. State Workers Challenge Health Insurance Hike

This year, the South Carolina legislature budgeted to give state workers, university employees and teachers their first raise in four years in exchange for increasing what they contribute to their retirement plans.

Even in Hard Times, States Find It Difficult To Recruit Talent

As state government hiring picks back up, competing with the private sector for highly skilled workers is becoming a challenge for some agencies.

Continuing U.S. Trend, North Carolina Helps Military Spouses With Licensing

Governor Bev Perdue signed into law Tuesday (July 24) legislation aimed at helping military spouses land jobs after they arrive at North Carolina military bases, continuing a trend in statehouses to reduce barriers of entry into the workforce for military spouses across the U.S. Under the law, military spouses tr