If the Republicans who control the Legislature want to pick a fight with organized labor, they have plenty of places they could dig in.

There are bills that would reform the state employee pension system and lower the state’s obligation to future retirees.

There are education reform ideas that would create a system of charter schools, which in the past have been strongly opposed by teachers’ unions.

There is even talk about Maine becoming the Northeast’s only “right to work” state, where union contracts could not make membership or paying dues a condition of employment.

All of these would result in major changes in the relationship between workers and employers, and all would bring on a big fight with organized labor and its, allies in the State House.

So why are the Republicans choosing to start a fight over something that will not save a dollar or change anything about the way the state does business?

Eliminating the Labor Committee and moving its work to the Business, Research and Economic Development Committee (to be renamed the Jobs Committee) won’t do anything except let everyone know that the battle is on. It is a fight over a name, and it is not one worth having.

The advocates for this plan say they are not anti-labor, but that they want to consider all workplace legislation in a context of job creation.

It sounds good, but it doesn’t make sense. Just having the word “Labor” on the door doesn’t make the committee ignorant of the needs of employers, and, presumably, the Republican leadership would name members of the committee (including its chairmen) who would make sure the business community would be well-represented.

Changing the name of the committee would not reduce the number of bills or the types of bills that get filed.

The Republicans have been in the minority for a long time and they have had to sit back and watch a lot of things get forced through the Legislature over their objection. The temptation to turn the tables must be great.

But this looks more like a majority flexing its muscles than a principled policy dispute. When there are so many real issues to fight over, changing the names of committees would be a waste of time.