Labor has not really attempted to overturn the Indiana “right to work” law, where they had less options at their disposal. But there are tools available in Michigan, as well as a relatively dense unionized labor force ready to fight back.

There are a couple bellweather races in the Senate (I think North Dakota will show the power of ideology versus candidate competence) and the House (a couple member-versus-member races, like Jim Renacci versus Betty Sutton in Ohio, will be determinative).

But I’m going with Kevin Drum: Prop 30 in California, and the symbolic end to the era of the tax revolt it would usher in, is the most important thing on the ballot this year, to me.

After the victory in Wisconsin, many wondered where conservative interests would strike next to finish off unions and permanently alter the power relationship between labor and capital. It appears the next step is California. In November, voters will decide on an initiative, Prop 32, that would “eliminate unions from having any voice in politics whatsoever,” according to one labor official.

Yesterday North Carolina passed Amendment One, a constitutional amendment initiative that not only puts the existing ban on same-sex marriage in the state constitution, but will also ban civil unions and domestic partnerships. The DNC is planning it’s convention for Charlotte, North Caroline, so activists are demanding the DNC move the convention.

Foreclosure fraud is a pervasive and industry-wide problem, so other servicers beyond the big 5 would eventually get sanctioned in some way. The biggest three made up over 46% of the mortgage servicing market by the end of 2011, and no other servicer controls more than 5%. But that’s still roughly 40%-45% not covered by the settlement, so the Federal Reserve plans to slap their wrists and perhaps nudge them under the settlement.

A major battle between progressive activists and a sitting governor in the nation’s largest state is nearing a conclusion today. California Governor Jerry Brown and a coalition of progressives have entered into negotiations to finalize a tax measure for the November 2012 ballot, after both sides offered competing plans.

Yesterday, Gov. Jerry Brown penned an “Open Letter to the People of California,” announcing his intention to go to the ballot in November 2012 with an initiative that would raise revenues by roughly $7 billion annually. But there are two other progressive tax initiatives and another for tax cuts sponsored by a billionaire. It could be a very confusing ballot next year

The Ohio campaign to defeat SB5, the anti-union bill, has really ramped up over the past couple weeks. And it turns out that when both sides get to make their arguments, the state of Ohio dislikes the stripping of collective bargaining rights and the right to strike, according to the latest polling.

Republicans just can’t resist a game where they make up the rules as they go along. Two fine examples of this are Wisconsin where they are going to redistrict before the recall elections, even though they have not drawn up the ward maps yet. And then there is Ohio, where SB 5 is going to before a vote of the people, but Republicans want to split it into 5 separate bills to confuse the voter.

The passage of SB5 in Ohio triggered a 90-day period where opponents could gather signatures to force a referendum, a “citizen veto” of the law, in November. The law does not take effect until the results of that referendum. Labor and progressive activists immediately went to work to try to overturn the law, which would severely limit collective bargaining rights in the state, eliminate the right to strike and even hit public safety positions like police and firefighters.