’ Walker’s landmark law — called Act 10 — severely restricted the power of public-employee unions to bargain collectively, and that provision, among others, has given social workers, prison guards, nurses and other public employees little reason to pay dues to a union that can no longer do much for them. Members of Mr. Beil’s group, the Wisconsin State Employees’ Union, complain that their take-home pay has fallen more than 10 percent in recent years, a sign of the union’s greatly diminished power.
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Backed by Gov. Scott Walker, center, the legislation drew fierce protests. Credit Narayan Mahon for The New York Times
“It’s had a devastating effect on our union,” Mr. Beil, its executive director, said of Act 10. He was sitting in his Madison office, inside the headquarters that his union, hard up for cash, may be forced to sell. The building is underused anyway, as staff reductions have left many offices empty.
Wisconsin was the first state to grant public-sector unions the right to negotiate contracts. Before Gov. Gaylord Nelson signed that law in 1959, only unionized workers in private companies had a government-protected right to bargain collectively. But the Wisconsin idea soon spread around the country. Act 10 is an about-face, and Mr. Walker and his Republican supporters see it as a tough-minded strategy that other states can follow.
(From new york times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/business/wisconsins-legacy-for-unions.html?_r=0
He has Ba**s of steel
Walker took out the power of the public unions. The Democrats gave the unions whatever they wanted and Republican administrations in the past just tried to limit the increases.
The union took dues from its members, gave a lot of it to Democrat politicians and the politicans gave back to the union. A vicious circle.
It was stacked against the taxpayer.
Walker took away collective bargaining except for wages and the requirement to belong to the union. The law allowed for school districts to have employees pay for part of their health insurance (just like other taxpayers have to pay for health insurance). Union membership decreased by 50%+
Walker solves problems, is a conservative and gets elected in a Democrat blue state and in the Democrat Milwaukee County (as County Executive).
A GOVERNMENT employee got a pay cut? I'll need to see some proof of that...
Ditto! Love this man.
They had to contribute to their health care (new outlay) but they no longer are forced to pay union dues (new savings).