Today’s News & Commentary — February 21, 2017

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Iowa Council 61, an Iowa union local, filed suit against the state on Monday, reports the Washington Post. The union alleges that a new law which prohibits public sector unions from negotiating issues such as health insurance and supplemental pay is unconstitutional.

Austria has approved new rules to encourage companies to give hiring priority to domestic workers for new jobs, according to the New York Times. The new rules will halve non-wage labor costs for three years for companies which create new jobs and hire people in Austria changing jobs or registered as unemployed. Graduates of an Austrian educational institution and other highly-skilled foreign workers may also qualify for the reduction. The plan may run into opposition from Brussels, as it seems to run against the European Union’s principle of free movement of people.

The Chicago Bears and the NFL Players’ Association are gearing up for an unlikely battle in the Illinois Legislature, reports the Associated Press. The two are on opposite sides of the question of how long injured professional athletes should be allowed to earn workers compensation benefits. Currently, injured players can earn benefits until the age of 67, like all other workers; the Bears want payments to end at the age of 35 or five years after the player suffered injury.