State worker strikes: rare but momentous

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/03/20/1926159/state-worker-strikes-rare-but.html

By DANIEL C. VOCK - Stateline.org

WASHINGTON The first time his union went on strike, Peter Benner was surprised. But the three-week work stoppage by Minnesota state employees in 1981 taught him a lot about the relationship between public workers and their employers. So two decades later, Benner could tell early on that another strike was likely. "It was only a question of when it was going to happen," he says.

In 2001, Gov. Jesse Ventura's administration wanted employees who had endured 10 years of tight-budget contracts to pay more for their health insurance, even as Ventura and lawmakers were giving away tax rebates. The workers objected, and more than half of Minnesota's state work force walked off the job in October. The two-week strike of some 30,000 employees was the biggest work stoppage by state employees that Minnesota has ever experienced.

The strike raised the ante for both sides at the bargaining table. As chief negotiator for the unions, Benner worried whether his members would remain committed enough to stay off the job if it meant missing a paycheck. On the other side, state management negotiators wondered how long they could keep vital services going with a depleted work force. After the initial excitement, the two sides sat down and struck a deal.

State employee labor strikes are rare. The 2001 Minnesota walkout was the biggest in recent memory. But labor tensions are running so high right now in Wisconsin that the idea is not far from anyone's mind.

The state has seen calls for a general strike. Labor is focusing its efforts on recalling state senators who voted for a new law to significantly weaken the power of public employee unions. Still, the situation remains volatile. More than 100,000 people attended a Capitol protest March 12. On Friday, a Wisconsin judge issued a temporary restraining order, blocking the law from going into effect.

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