3 Questions: Michael Piore on labor disputes at the ballot box
Tuesday’s elections produced a much-publicized result in Ohio, where, by a 61-39 margin, voters repealed an 8-month-old law limiting the collective bargaining rights of public employees, such as teachers, police officers and firefighters. The morning after the vote, MIT News spoke to economist Michael Piore, MIT’s David W. Skinner Professor of Political Economy and a longtime expert in labor and union issues, about the results and their possible impact.Q. What is your reaction to Tuesday’s vote on collective bargaining for public employees in Ohio?A. It’s impressive and it’s a real victory for trade unions, in the current climate where victories have been hard to come by. I was impressed and, as a believer in trade unions, I guess also relieved.Q. What does it portend for the future of labor issues in other states, or nationally? Will there be any effect, and if so, what might it be?A. I’m sure there...