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Nebraska Supporters Save Workers’ Rights, But at a Price

May 24, 2011

The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce backed off its efforts to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public workers May 19, when its allies in the legislature agreed to compromise legislation that would preserve the state Commission of Industrial Relations.

The commission – which has been a top target of anti-worker politicians and big business – resolves disputes between municipalities and unions over wages by comparing compensation levels with an array of cities and towns of similar size. The commission also covers the state’s public utility workers.

While preserving collective bargaining rights, the amended bill weakens the commission’s ability to raise wages to match the prevailing rate and extends to three years the timeframe to adjust wages that fall below average.

The commission will also be required to include pensions and benefits in determining the prevailing wage, a move that many fear will encourage municipalities to instead pursue defined-benefit plans to reduce the standard rate of pay.

State Sen. Steve Lathrop, a supporter of collective bargaining rights, told the Omaha World-Herald:

It preserves, in a real sense, collective bargaining. Everyone is giving up something in this. Mostly it’s the employees who are giving.

Collective bargaining supporters control the legislature’s Business and Labor Committee, making it unlikely that an anti-CIR bill would have passed. But the threat to filibuster a CIR reform bill by anti-worker senators forced further cutbacks to public workers in order to reach a compromise.

Eleventh District International Representative Rich Michel agrees that it was public workers who were forced to do most of the belt tightening to get the compromise:

 

The Chamber and its friends basically held the CIR hostage to push through its efforts to go after public workers. We basically did all the giving in this situation.

The commission has broad support from many business leaders and municipal officials – including the Nebraska League of Municipalities – for its role in streamlining the bargaining process and maintaining productive labor relations.

But anti-worker ideologues at the state Chamber of Commerce and in the legislature – hoping to repeat the successes of Govs. John Kasich and Scott Walker in Ohio and Wisconsin in limiting public workers’ right to bargain – pushed to have the commission abolished, threatening to initiate a petition drive to have the matter put on the ballot.

While officials at the Chamber have backed off from its threat, Michel says pro-worker activists plan to remain vigilant:

 

Being in a ‘right-to-work-for-less-state,’ we can’t take anything for granted. We need to keep our eyes on Lincoln and stay mobilized – at our workplaces, our neighborhoods and at the polls.

Photo used under a Creative Commons License from Flickr user O'BrienDigital