Legislative efforts to strip public employees of collective bargaining and other rights in Wisconsin and Ohio are only the most visible of a range of similar efforts under way this year in at least 12 states so far.

Lawmakers in Florida, Idaho, Missouri, Tennessee and South Carolina also have introduced bills to reduce union power or make it more difficult for them to sign up workers. There is talk of similar measures even in labor-friendly California and New York.

Those efforts would build on bills already working their way through legislatures in Iowa, Kansas and, perhaps most surprisingly of all, the traditionally progressive state of Massachusetts.

Not all of the measures are identical in what they seek or how far they have advanced, nor are they equally likely to pass and be signed into law. But they do share an antipathy for labor unions amid concerns about state budget deficits and a national debate over public-sector pay and pensions.

Late last year, growing concern about local government finances combined with a bear market for Treasury securities to pummel the municipal-bond market. A benchmark index of 10-year triple-A rated muni bonds compiled by Municipal Market Data fell sharply from late August, sending borrowing costs up by 1.29 percentage points by mid January.

Since then, the market has regained some of the losses, rallying 36%. It has largely been unaffected by events in Wisconsin and Ohio.

The campaign to curb union power comes after recent election gains by conservative Republicans, particularly those associated with or sympathetic to the anti-tax Tea Party movement. It has met spirited resistance from union members and their traditional political allies, Democrats, and comes despite three national polls that found most voters support public-sector unions.

Filed Under : Union Issues & Employee Benefits