Ohio, Wisconsin at center of collective bargaining battle

COLUMBUS - Nearly 4.000 union supporters and Hundreds of Tea Party Backers swarmed the Ohio Statehouse on Friday as Continued hearings on a plan Thurs cut collective bargaining rights for TENS of Thousands of Government Workers.
Ohio is one of Several states Where lawmakers are Looking to rein in union labor Thurs battle BILLIONS in state budget deficits.
Also on Thursday, 25.000 rallied in Madison, Wisc., Thu oppose the Governor's Plan That Would Eliminate collective bargaining for most public employees. Since More Than 1.000 School Teachers Called in sick to join the protests in Wisconsin, Several school districts were forced close Thurs.
The two states - Both with new Republican Governors - are emerging as battlegrounds for how Challenging Public Contracts Have Been Negotiated for Decades.
Hundreds of local public employee union leaders and Members are watching the Debate Closely. They include Mike Bowshier, maintenance technician and president of the AFSCME union representing 11 Workers in the Springfield Metropolitan Housing Authority.