Sparks Fly Over No-Shows At Senate Hearing

There was a good deal of bitterness at the State Capitol as the Senate Interim Committee on Public Employee Collective Bargaining held a hearing on Governor Holden’s executive order giving some state workers the right to unionize. Only five of the eight members of the committee – all Republicans – showed up for the hearing. In addition to the Democrat no shows, people from the Governor’s Office who were asked to appear notified the committee that nobody from the Office would be present. The move prompted one Senator – John Loudon of Ballwin – to suggest the committee was being stonewalled.