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DES MOINES, IOWA (AP) -- Iowa Governor Chet Culver is threatening to veto a bill giving public workers new bargaining rights, unless backers can ease concerns about the potential costs.
The Democratic governor's warning comes a day after he asked Democrats who control the Legislature to delay passage of the bill.
The request was ignored.
Culver says there's a "strong possibility" that he will veto the bill if an effort to listen to the concerns of Iowans and government officials doesn't happen.
Culver didn't raise specific objections, but says the bill was rushed to approval before all sides had been heard.
The bill is the first expansion of the state's public employee collective bargaining law since 1974. The 34-year-old law includes sharp limits on the mandatory issues for negotiations, but the new measure greatly expands the list.
(Copyright ©2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
