Jerry Brown is about to hit Day 100, and it is clear the honeymoon is over.  Specifically, deals with six unions are set to be the focus of a showdown between the Governor and the Republican minority.  Needing a supermajority (yes, really) to even cut a deal that reduces benefits, Brown now finds himself looking at a fight over deals that are essentially the same deals as his Republican predecessor bargained with several other unions.

The deals negotiated by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown last month include union concessions, but they fall far short of the savings that lawmakers from both parties said that they wanted from the contracts. … But last week, a committee on which Walters is the vice chair heard the current measure and then split along party lines: Three Democrats in favor, two Republicans against, including Walters.

“I don’t believe there will be any Republican support for these contracts,” the Laguna Nigel senator said after the vote. “Not at this point.”(SacBee)

You can take a look at what the unions agreed to, but it’s definitely nothing approaching a pay raise.  They will pay more for their pensions and will take 12 unpaid furlough days a year.  While this is an improvement from the 36 (or so) per year, this ends the punitive 15% pay cuts while at least continuing the savings (and the services to the state).

All in all, these are contracts that help the state.  Yet, we can’t get them through for what reason exactly? Oh right, it’s where the Republicans have leverage.  After all, who is going to fight for policy when there are political battles to be won. Certainly not Sen. Walters.