the Goldwater Institute recommends that Arizona join North Carolina and other states that completely prohibit state and local government officials from contracting with public employee unions, requiring all employment relationships to be individually negotiated.

Illinois Legislature want to prevent the governor from spending money the state does not have in the bank.

The labor-management panels that were to identify $170 million in efficiencies as part of last summer's concession deal haven't met yet.

New York’s second-largest union of state workers, seeking to avoid thousands of layoffs that were set to begin this week, struck a last-minute deal with the Cuomo administration on Sunday on a revised package of wage and benefit concessions.

An independent arbitrator has ordered Gov. Pat Quinn to halt plans to lay off 1,600 workers and close seven state facilities, saying Quinn's moves directly violate an agreement he made with the state's largest employee union to not hand out pink slips or shutter facilities through July 30, 2012.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's administration plans to save the state money by requiring unionized state workers to take at least four unpaid furlough days off and by introducing legislation requiring them to contribute to their defined benefit retirement plans if they want to keep them.

The second-largest union of New York State employees has rejected a package of wage and benefits concessions negotiated by the Cuomo administration, blowing a hole in the state budget that could now prompt the largest wave of layoffs in two decades.

The already battered state budget is taking another $42 million hit because Gov. John Kitzhaber's settlement with state labor unions came in over the limit he had initially set on pay increases.

Wisconsin will no longer be obligated to bargain with its largest public employee unions after the weakened labor groups decided against seeking recertification votes in the state at the forefront of this year's fight over union rights.

The state has about one manager or supervisor for every six employees, according to a Civil Service Commission work force report for the third quarter of fiscal 2011.

The administration of Gov. Rick Snyder is delaying the decision on whether to layoff state employees as part of a plan to balance the 2011-12 budget, in an attempt to convince state employee unions to reopen their contracts to provide concessions.

The contract ratified by the State Employees' Association saves money by freezing wages and changing health care benefits. The state budget passed earlier this year requires Gov. John Lynch to save $50 million in labor costs.

Michigan lawmakers acted illegally when they agreed to take 3 percent from the pay of government employees and earmark it for retirees' health care, the state appeals court ruled.

Scene recalls massive protests of last year over Gov. Scott Walker's legislation repealing most collective bargaining for public workers.

In a step avoided by governors and legislators for the past two decades, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Tuesday that he will lay off state troopers to cut costs and help balance the state budget.

More elements of Gov. Scott Walker's union bargaining legislation are taking effect, with higher health and pension payments for state employees coming online this week.

Troopers insisted Monday that their "unique" status as public safety employees should spare them from the threatened layoffs of 56 new troopers, a possibility after their union declined to accept a two-year wage freeze that would have come with a four-year guarantee of job security.

The number of state troopers - 1,127 - is below the number mandated by the state and the governor has issued layoff notices to 56 of the 57 members of the most recent graduating class. Troopers fear that a wave of retirements might further deplete their ranks.

Connecticut's state employee unions announced that rank-and-file members ratified a labor savings and concessions agreement, giving Gov. Dannel P. Malloy the go-ahead to rescind thousands of layoff notices and forgo additional state budget cuts.

Gov. Cuomo said governors who have attacked collective bargaining and the cost of worker benefits had lost sight of the task at hand - balancing budgets.

Illustrating once again the need for the Legislature to have the authority to make budget decisions concerning state employee compensation, state employee unions have rejected the Governor's request to make changes to the portion taxpayers pay for their health care.

Unions exist to fight for their members, not to advocate for policy that is in the best interest of taxpayers. This why it is incumbent on the Legislature to have the authority to weigh all spending requests equally in the context of the priorities of all taxpayers and citizens and not be cut out of budget decisions totaling millions of dollars.

The Washington Policy Center proposes seven ideas for balancing the budget that, if adopted, would put Washington on the path to long-term financial stability so lawmakers do not feel they have to increase the financial burden they place on citizens by raising tax rates.

A weekly update on union rallies held around the country.

Unions from California to Pennsylvania organized events to protest state budget cuts and rally for jobs in what was a very busy week full of union activity around the country.

Lawmakers in Wisconsin, Ohio and elsewhere have made headlines in the last two months for their bold steps to curtail bargaining rights and benefits for public sector unions. Now, however, supporters of public unions are pushing back; significant efforts to repeal recent legislation are already in the works.

I expect a lot of union protest and rallies in the coming month, and I fear that things will get ugly.  Here are some of the highlights of this week's union protests around the nation:

The Wisconsin Assembly passed collective bargaining reform and sent the bill to the Governor. This is a major victory both for individual government employees, who are no longer are forced to join a union in order to work for the state or local government, and also for taxpayers.

The House demonstrated last night how efficiently it could move priority legislation when the public is cut out of the process. HB2011, introduced just this past Saturday, was the last bill acted on by the House last night and passed by a vote of 59-36.

President Roosevelt once said, "The process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted in the public service."  There are fundamental differences between private-sector unions and government unions.  Understanding those differences is key to understanding the public sector union issues in many states.

In all, the salaries and benefits of state employees add up to $18.5 billion, or a fifth of New York’s operating budget. Unless those costs are reined in, New York will find itself unable to provide even essential services.

With pension liabilities and health care benefits out of control and unions asking for more, states are finally taking action. Here's a look at some of the effort-within and beyond Wisconsin-that are underway.

By reforming collective bargaining, governors and legislators would have a stronger hand in contract negotiations to demand concessions to balance budgets and save taxpayers money. Some argue that reforming collective bargaining and labor laws could be a more realistic alternative to dealing with health care and pension costs than state bankruptcy. The stakes are high for both sides. Whatever happens in Wisconsin over the next several days will have ramifications for the rest of the nation.

Now, when nearly every state is tottering on the edge of a fiscal cliff as they try to balance their budgets, public sector workers are being forced to shoulder a share of the financial burden.

It is time to re-evaluate the so-called 2002 Civil Service Reform in Washington State that put state unions in the driver's seat and policy makers in the back seat when it comes to certain budget decisions.

State budget expert and President of State Budget Solutions, Bob Williams, and Brett Healy, President of the John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy, discussed the effects of the Wisconsin Supreme Court elections on Wisconsin's Budget Repair Bill and the state budget on a conference call with the media.