Nuggets from the notebook while waiting for the inevitable showdown between Republicans and labor unions …

When the new Republican majority in the State House introduced a proposal to dissolve and redistribute the duties of the Labor Committee, the ensuing battle between the GOP and organized labor and their allies initially was characterized by some as a tempest in a teapot, or a fight over a committee name.

But that showdown, which resulted in a new committee moniker and added purview over business interests, could foreshadow a real fight between the GOP and organized labor this session.

If that happens, Maine Republicans will be in lockstep with their colleagues in other states. Like Maine, several states have already attempted to redistribute duties of their respective labor panels. And some states, like Nebraska, have submitted multiple legislative proposals that would weaken unions and dilute their power.

Last week, the National Labor Relations Board threatened to sue Arizona, South Dakota, South Carolina and Utah for passing constitutional amendments that require secret ballot voting in union elections. The NLRB claims the requirement violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. 

In December, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty stepped up the attack, taking direct aim at unionized state workers in a column in the Wall Street Journal.

“The rise of government unions has been like a silent coup, an inside job engineered by self-interested politicians and fueled by campaign contributions,” Pawlenty wrote.

There are plenty of other examples elsewhere.

It’s probably a safe bet to expect several proposals in Maine. Gov. Paul LePage, who to this point has followed through on several of his campaign promises, made a point of criticizing unionized state workers before the election. And it probably wasn’t a coincidence that one of the first official acts of the new Republican majority was directed at the Labor Committee.

Republican attempts to diminish union power makes political sense. Unions traditionally support Democratic candidates.

Republicans also seem to have public opinion on their side, especially if the economic recovery continues at a snail’s pace.

In 2009, New York Times statistician Nate Silver found a direct correlation between a high unemployment rate and public support for unions. His analysis followed a Gallup poll showing that American support for organized labor was at an all-time low.

Gallup also noted that the survey came on the heels of the automotive bailouts, which were hugely unpopular with Americans, many of whom blamed the Big Three’s failure on exorbitant wages and benefit packages of the industry’s unionized workforce.

The New Yorker’s financial writer James Surowiecki addressed the public sentiment about unions in a recent column.

He wrote, “Labor, in other words, may be caught in a vicious cycle, becoming progressively less influential and more unpopular. The Great Depression invigorated the modern American labor movement. The Great Recession has crippled it.”

What will Marden’s do?

For additional evidence that the state’s 10,000 employees are in for a rough ride this session, look no further than LePage’s snow day policy.

During the three recent snow storms, LePage has kept state offices open, a marked contrast to former Gov. John Baldacci, who seemed to call emergency shutdowns in conditions far less severe.

LePage Spokesman Dan Demeritt, responding to questions about the governor’s policy, told the Kennebec Journal, “The rule of thumb is: If Marden’s is open, Maine is open.”

Last week, the Maine State Employees Association challenged the policy by noting that several Marden’s stores closed early during the Jan. 12 storm, well before state employees were sent home at 3 p.m.

The union, drawing information from the Marden’s website, noted that stores in Scarborough, Lewiston, Biddeford and Sanford all closed at noon, the Calais store closed at 2 p.m. and the Ellsworth store closed at 4 p.m.

From the MSEA’s press release: “It’s one thing to characterize a storm day policy with a sound-bite quip. It’s another thing to actually develop, post and distribute a process or policy that protects the health and safety of all Maine people.”

Demeritt later told the Bangor Daily News that his initial comment was a quip, not an official policy.

During Friday’s storm, LePage closed state offices early even though many Marden’s locations were still open.

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