Okla. Senate panel votes to ax city union rights

(Bloomberg Businessweek) City workers in Oklahoma's 13 largest cities likely would lose their collective bargaining rights under a Republican-backed bill approved Monday by a Senate committee.

The legislation would repeal the Municipal Employees Collective Bargaining Act, a law approved in 2004 that requires Oklahoma cities with more than 35,000 residents to collectively bargain with their employees. If approved, cities would have the option of whether to collectively bargain, said Sen. Cliff Aldridge, who sponsored the bill.

"This basically sends it back to permissive language," said Aldridge, R-Midwest City.

The Senate General Government Committee approved the bill on a 5-3 party-line vote. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9M8EJIG0.htm

if the Republicans get a hold of Congress and the White House, IMO.