Walker's Drive to Curb Wisconsin Unions Makes Him an Outlier

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, elected in the November wave that put Republicans in command of most U.S. states, says a contract that grants government employees 15 percent raises and free health care is squeezing taxpayers.

If the union won’t renegotiate, Branstad plans to fire state workers. Yet he’s not following the lead of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker by trying to circumscribe the benefits for which members can bargain, a move workers say would break the union.

“Every state’s got its own unique situation,” Branstad, 64, said in an interview in Washington, where the National Governors Association met during the weekend. “We don’t control the Legislature like they do in Wisconsin.”

The power of public-employee unions has become a flashpoint in budget disputes nationwide. Some polls show the public opposes moves by governors such as Walker, Ohio’s John Kasich and Indiana’s Mitch Daniels to limit collective-bargaining rights. Labor groups call the measures part of an assault on the middle class. The struggle has exposed fissures among Republicans and drawn scorn from Democrats, even as governors from both parties seek union concessions without challenging their legal standing.