Idaho Senate votes to curtail teacher's union

(Reuters) - By a 20-15 vote, the Idaho Senate on Thursday approved legislation that curtails collective bargaining by public school teachers. The measure restricts collective bargaining to salaries and benefits, removing from negotiations such provisions as class sizes, teacher workload and promotions. Crafted by the state's schools chief and endorsed by the legislature's Republican leaders and Governor Butch Otter, the bill bans collective bargaining unless the teachers union could prove it represented more than 50 percent of educators in a school district. The legislation now heads to the House, where passage is expected.