Organized Labor Making Its Push

Two bills to radically shift the landscape of organized labor in North Carolina have popped up on the legislative calendar for tomorrow.

First, a new piece of legislation, H 1651 was introduced today.  This bill would set up a mechanism for collective bargaining rights for public safety employees.

Second, a bill to grant collective bargaining rights to all municipal and state employees (H 750)is scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary II committee tomorrow at 10 am.

At a time when state and local governments are facing some of the toughest economic challenges in decades, these bills would only exasperate the problems.  Granting collective bargaining rights will only increase costs at a time when tax revenues are declining rapidly.

Just imagine the Governor and General Assembly having to attempt to deal with the current budget crisis with labor contracts in place limiting the ability to control labor expenses through layoffs or furloughs.  North Carolina would be facing the near bankruptcy situation that other states like California are currently facing.

Collective bargaining for government employees is a bad idea.  It's an even worse idea in tough budget times.