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A Few Votes Make a Big Difference

Can the outcome of an election have an immediate and dramatic impact on your job? Nurses and other public employees found out quickly in Kentucky, Indiana and Missouri. In 2001, AFSCME succeeded in obtaining executive orders granting collective bargaining rights to state employees under Democratic governors in Missouri and Kentucky. Republican Governors Matt Blunt in Missouri and Ernie Fletcher in Kentucky rescinded these orders when they took office.

In Indiana, public employees had collective bargaining rights for 15 years. On his first day in office this year, newly elected Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) issued his own executive order that cancelled union contracts covering nearly 25,000 state workers, including over 1,200 UNA nurses. Under the order, they will be unable to negotiate pay, benefits and work rules with state officials.

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