It’s a move that has sparked opposition in many of the associations that have members in the state. Some of the proposed changes include establishing new right-to-work laws, shifting union employees to at-will employees when their contracts expire, and pension reforms.
The state has even undertaken some of the reforms that many Californians deem to be too controversial to try: adjusting pensions for current employees, and changing their retirement age.
From the International Association of Fire Fighters Frontline Blog:
The protests in Wisconsin may have stolen news headlines this winter, but a quiet political persecution of public employees has also been playing out in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Finance Committee in the House of Representatives this week approved a change to the state collective bargaining laws that would turn all public sector employees “at will” when their contracts expire.
The amendment states that after contracts expire, “salaries, benefits and terms and conditions of employment will be at the discretion of the employer.”
Rep. Neal Kurk (R) who introduced the bill was quoted in the Concord Monitor as saying, “If unions who couldn’t agree (on a contract) knew that wages, retirement benefits and health care benefits would be at the discretion of the employer, we’d see a much more rapid settlement of contracts, and some of the exceptionally expensive fringe benefits including medical care and pensions would be resolved in a way that made them more affordable.”
Read the full article here.