Union makes unusual endorsement of Koch-backed lawmaker

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2016/02/11/eric-linder-seiu-endorsement/80244578/

Laurel Rosenhall, CALmatters 3 p.m. PST February 11, 2016


(Photo: Max Whittaker, Max Whittaker/Prime)

Several times in the last year, Assemblyman Eric Linder, R-Corona, pushed the green “Yes” button on his desk when most of his Republican colleagues pressed “No.”

He broke from his party to vote for labor-backed bills requiring more disclosure of health care rates, new layoff protections for civil servants and a system for workers to collect unpaid wages from employers.

Those votes, along with his efforts to mediate a labor dispute at a hospital in his Riverside County district, helped Linder earn an unusual distinction last month: he’s the first Republican in more than 20 years to get the endorsement of the Service Employees International Union.

California’s largest public employee union supports tax increases and government spending, so it usually finds more in common with Democrats. Its endorsement of Linder – the son of a Mexican immigrant who first won election pledging not to raise taxes – has left some politicos scratching their heads, and others wondering if it signals an emerging trend of labor making nice with the GOP.

FULL story at link.