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On, Wisconsin

With teachers in Wisconsin having the ability to decline the payment of  forced union dues or fees, teacher union officials are reportedly laying off 40% of their staff.  The Wall Street Journal opines: The Battle of Wisconsin ended with a whimper on Tuesday as two Democrats facing recall elections for their roles in the fight over union reform hung on to their seats. Four of six Republicans up for recall did the same last week. After Greek-style protests in Madison, a judicial election and tens of millions of dollars spent, voters weren't in the mood for revenge after all. For all the hullabaloo, the great upheaval prophesied by the unions never came true. Republicans still control the state senate. The national unions went home. Badger State voters got a balanced budget without tax increases, and the spectacle of Democratic senators fleeing to Illinois to avoid a vote became an unpleasant memory. Life goes on. Since Governor Scott Walker's union reforms and budget legislation went into effect, school districts have saved money with competitive bids for their health-care plans. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the change will save Milwaukee some $25 million a year and as much as $36 million in 2012, more than compensating for the cuts in state aid to the city.

Beware the Backdoor Card Check Bill

Unable to force the Card Check Forced Unionism bill through Congress, big labor has turned to Plan B -- force the bill on the American people through administrative fiat, Chuck Hadden argues: Union organizers are still licking their wounds over the inability to get Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. They haven’t given up, however. They have regrouped and are counting on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to give them what Congress would not. And, with the addition of two new very pro-union Democrats on the NLRB, the effort to make sweeping EFCA-like changes to established election procedures has been given a second lease on life. On July 21, the NLRB proposed new regulations that would allow for “snap” or “quickie” elections that would effectively deny employees the ability to make fully informed decisions about whether to join a union by narrowing the timeline between filing of a petition for certification and a union election. If adopted, unions would be allowed to begin organizing a workforce secretly and then surprise an employer once enough signatures are collected. Employers would then have as little as 10 days to communicate with their employees, as compared to the 38 days (on average) that occurs under current law. The NLRB is also set to render decisions on two pivotal cases involving Specialty Healthcare and Boeing that could significantly impact employers. At issue in the Specialty Healthcare case would be permitting union organizers to set up micro-unions in the workplace. This would force employers to negotiate with multiple bargaining units, which would be confusing, time-consuming and, ultimately, job-killing.