Ohio and Wisconsin govs talk frequently

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio Gov. John Kasich told a Columbus newspaper he talks frequently with the Governor of Wisconsin, whose state has been the primary focus of the national debate over collective bargaining rights.

The Columbus Dispatch reports the Republican Kasich worked on his budget Saturday as people rallied at the Statehouse to protest a bill that would limit unions' collective bargaining rights.

Kasich says he's against joblessness, not unions, and is working on a state budget proposal aimed at creating jobs and economic growth.

Kasich tells the newspaper unions are important but that Republicans working on Senate Bill 5 are trying to help government officials control spending and stand up for taxpayers and private-sector workers.

Kasich says he sometimes talks with fellow GOP governors but denies they're part of a coordinated effort to kill unions for public employees. He says he frequently talks to Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin, where a similar bill has caused nearly two weeks of protests.