Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Blunt eliminates Missouri Board of Mediation

In what appears to be another anti-union/pro-business move, but is being characterized as a cost-cutting measure, Governor Matt Blunt signed an executive order July 1 eliminating the Missouri State Board of Mediation, according to an article in today's Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian.
The move, the newspaper says, was done without any public announcement. The board "presided over union elections for public workers and determined the status of collective bargaining units," the article said.
It consisted of five members, two representing unions, two representing businesses, and a neutral chairman.
The panel's duties will be turned over to the state Labor and Industrial Relations Commission.
The fear, and it is an understandable one considering the pro-business bent of the Blunt administration, is that Missouri's workers are going to be the losers from this decision.

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