Legislative leaders are still silent on their closed-door state budget talks.

So we're left covering what the outside interest groups are up to. Today comes word that a coalition of unions are sending out mailers attacking Assembly Member Danny Gilmore, R-Hanford, for "picking the pockets of middle class families."

Here's what they are referring to: GOP leaders -- Gilmore is not one of them -- are seeking to relax some labor laws in return for Democratic demands, which could include a tax hike.

One example: The GOP wants to give employers the flexibility to schedule hourly shifts of longer than eight hours in one day, without having to pay overtime. Republicans say the flexibility would allow for more "family friendly" flexible schedules, and it would serve as an economic stimulus. Workers would still get overtime if they worked more than 40 hours a week.

Unions say the proposal would merely allow companies to skip out on overtime pay.

Why'd the unions pick Gilmore? He's in one of the few swing districts in the state, one that Democrats would love to capture again in 2010.

Funny side note: The mailer asks voters to call Gilmore's Hanford district office number at 559-585-7170. But if you called that number early this afternoon, you'd have gotten the Capitol office of a Democrat -- Assembly Member Joe Coto.

Did Gilmore pull a fast one? Apparently not. According to his Capitol office, workers in the Hanford office were in training today and meant to forward calls to Gilmore's Capitol office. But they punched in Coto's number by mistake.