Not Much Support for Union Lawsuit Over Bargaining Agreement

Last week the largest state workers' union filed a lawsuit, protesting the governor's decision not to fund the collective bargaining agreement her office reached with state unions last fall. If the governor declines funding, the Legislature cannot on its own authorize the pay hikes. The unions and the state go back to the bargaining table.

Although the governor's office initially signed off on the agreement, there was an important condition: the state budget office had to certify that the deal was financially feasible. With the sharp decline in revenues in recent months, budget director Victor Moore concluded that the agreement did not pass that essential test. The unions are not happy. (I wrote about it last week on The News Tribune's editorial page blog, but forgot to comment here.)

Over the last several days, some of the state's major editorial pages have weighed in, showing remarkable unanimity. This morning's TNT calls foul on the union strategy in their editorial, Collective bargaining, meet economic reality.

The federation is asking a judge to strike down the part of the law that prohibits the Legislature from unilaterally considering employee contracts. The union that helped bench lawmakers now wants them back in the game.

No court can compel state lawmakers to play. Democrats in the Legislature should not kid themselves that state worker raises are an option given the historic proportions of the state?s budget deficit.

Earlier, the Seattle PI wrote that unforgiving math makes the bargaining agreement untenable.

The Seattle Times says the union is "acting badly."

The Vancouver Columbian calls the union's action "ill-timed greed."

The union is looking for kinder treatment from legislators than they?re receiving from Gregoire. She promised not to raise taxes, and she kept that promise, by proposing tough cuts in programs, salaries and virtually all other aspects of state government.

When union officials squawk about pay during the worst economic crisis in memory, it only fuels the suspicion that all they care about is the union.

Gregoire called her budget ugly. And while few relish the choices she had to make, here's the view from a couple more editorial pages.

The Walla Walla Union Bulletin says the budget "provides a solid foundation for the difficult task ahead" and wisely avoids tax hikes.

The Olympian calls it "tough, responsible."

Budgeting in hard times requires hard choices. The governor did what she had to do: balanced among competing interests, set her priorities, and determined a collective bargaining agreement negotiated in better times was no longer feasible. 

Right.