Opinion - 28,000 Minnesota state employees prepare to strike

It could happen in Missouri

By Karen Buschmann

communications director

Missouri Chamber of Commerce

JEFFERSON CITY -- Minnesota state workers walked off the job on Oct. 1, fulfilling a strike threat that has been looming for several weeks. Nearly 28,000 union members -- more than half of the state work force -- are eligible to join the strike.

The Minnesota strike comes one week after a broad coalition of Missouri associations, state workers and lawmakers filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Missouri Gov. Bob Holden's executive order dramatically advancing the unionization of 30,000 Missouri state employees.

"The Missouri Chamber has long held that public employee collective bargaining is poor public policy and Minnesota's striking government is one glaring example. While Holden's order specifically states that strikes are prohibited, the Minnesota action brings concern," said Daniel Mehan, Missouri Chamber president and CEO. "This is exactly the type of government disruption for which Missouri should prepare itself."

As an active critic of Holden's executive order and key organizer of the opposing coalition, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce was the target this summer of union protestors.

Washington state government has a "no strike" clause similar to Missouri's in its statutes, Mehan also pointed out. "However, Washington's "no strike" clause did not stop a 10-week rolling strike of Washington state workers from April to June this year," said Mehan. "That's why we are calling on legislators next session to implement the toughest anti-strike legislation in the nation to protect Missouri state workers and taxpayers from what Gov. Holden has imposed upon our state. "

Because of striking in Minnesota, National Guard troops have been trained to assist at regional treatment centers, group homes, sex offender facilities and state nursing homes, said Mehan.

In addition to National Guard troops, the state will hire hundreds of temporary workers for essential jobs left by striking workers, the Minneapolis Star recently reported.

"Especially at this time, I think it would be a travesty for National Guard troops to be detracted from national security duties to fill in for striking state workers," said Mehan.