Labor under fire in Nov. 2 elections

The Nov. 2 election was about more than who is to blame for joblessness, the flat economy and which party controls Congress, statehouses and governors’ mansions. Some candidates advocated policies ranging from closing the U.S. Department of Education to ending tenure for teachers and privatizing all educational services.

There was also a pernicious question on four state ballots that would make it harder for workers to join unions.

There were a few bright spots. In California, GOP gubernatorial candidate and eBay magnate Meg Whitman lost after spending $160 million in a campaign that bashed teacher unions and sought to end defined-benefit pensions for nearly all government employees. In Nevada, Republican senatorial hopeful Sharron Angle, who described herself as someone who “taught grades K-12 in a one-room Christian school of 24 students for two years” and was a staunch supporter of vouchers, was defeated by incumbent Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader. In Illinois, Gov. Pat Quinn, who eked out a victory over the GOP challenger, owes his victory largely to his promise to delay state job cuts — including education positions — if re-elected.

Three-term Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, a friend of public schools and unions, was turned out of office, while a slew of public school education opponents were elected, including Rand Paul in Kentucky. Paul, like Angle, wants to abolish the federal Education Department and end federal oversight of education.

In Arizona, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah, voters approved propositions requiring secret ballots in union elections. The ballot measures, promoted by the business-funded lobby SOS Ballot, seek to pre-empt the stalled federal Employee Free Choice Act. The legislation, should it actually pass, would make it easier for private-sector workers to unionize through a signature drive or “card check.” The constitutionality of these measures is cloudy.

Education Week, Oct. 27, Nov. 3
National Labor Relations Board GTLE blog, Nov. 3
Associated Press, Nov. 2