California's special election is only the first of many instances in which governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is likely to battle unions over policy issues. Schwarzenegger has argued that public-employee unions "buy off" lawmakers who, in turn, waste taxpayer money on overly generous wages and benefits. It appears that, even if labor unions are able to overturn some of the governor's proposals in tomorrow's special election, organized labor in California has a long-term fight on its hands against Schwarzenegger.
See "Governor's Battle With Labor Is First Round in a Long Bout", Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, November 6, 2005