Veto will be fitting result for anti-union legislation

[PatSeg]

We're encouraged to see that while the misleadingly named Right-to-Work bill passed the New Hampshire House, it fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a promised veto by Gov. John Lynch.

House Bill 474 would end the practice of allowing unions and employers to negotiate a clause in contracts requiring non-union members to pay a fair share of collective bargaining costs, and it creates stiff penalties for anyone found guilty of doing virtually anything to encourage union membership. These two measures, along with many others in the bill, aim to weaken unions in New Hampshire and render powerless union and non-union workers alike.

Fortunately for the working men and women in our state, it looks like the bill is going to fail.

The bill passed the House 225-140. According to the latest figures, the House has 396 members with four vacancies, which means it would take 264 votes to override the governor's veto. In fact, it appears the bill has lost some support since it was originally approved Feb. 15, by a 221-131 margin. The bill gained four votes but nine additional representatives voted no.

More: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20110505-OPINION-105050375

[demosincebirth]

1. I thought NH was a pretty moderate state.

[PatSeg]

2. That's what I thought

I've only lived here six months, so I'm getting the feel of politics here. Evidently New Hampshire has more than its share of wacko republicans too, but states like Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan got more of the mainstream coverage. Fortunately we have a Democratic governor and a few sane republican legislators.

[teamster633]

3. Unfortunately, for most of my life, our state has fancied itself the anti-Massachusetts.

Rock-ribbed republicanism was the Granite State way--with a helping of "Live Free or Die" libertarianism thrown in for good measure. Recently we had been going in the right direction...up until this last election. Our Dems got slaughtered, and, technically, the Cons have a super-majority in both houses. It would appear, however, that at least some of them realize that the wave that carried them in can just as easily wash them back out. 2012 can't get here soon enough.