(Tn Gov) Haslam shrugs off Senate GOP stance on bargaining

[Ghost in the Machine]

Haslam shrugs off Senate GOP stance on bargaining

Associated Press - March 18, 2011 2:45 PM ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam is shrugging off an open letter written by Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey pledging to stick to a proposal to eliminate teachers' collective bargaining rights.

Haslam has voiced support for House revisions to the proposal that would exempt specific areas like merit pay and hiring decisions from union control, but wouldn't do away with collective bargaining altogether.

The governor and the House and Senate speakers are all Republican, but this week's developments indicate they aren't all on the same page on the collective bargaining measure.

Haslam told reporters at the Capitol on Friday that public sector unionization is far less of an issue in Tennessee than in many other states, and that he wants to focus on more pressing education issues, like teacher tenure and charter schools.

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