With the Wisconsin controversy fresh in our thoughts, it is very revealing to see a map of the United States and see the state of collective bargaining rights for public employees in the 50 states of the Union.
34 states guarantee collective bargaining, including all of the Northeast, New England, the Midwest, the Paciific Coast, some of the Mountain West, plus Tennessee and Florida, and also Alaska and Hawaii.
11 states have collective bargaining as “permissable” including West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona.
5 states have collective bargaining as explicitly illegal, all in the South, including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Texas.
What a state of affairs that in 2011, after a century of labor struggles to be able to negotiate their working conditions, we are seeing movement in states such as Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Maine, New Jersey, and Florida against such labor rights!
We are progressing backwards into the 19th century! 🙁