Protests erupted in Wisconsin over the weekend due to the passage of a new bill that limits collective bargaining rights for the state’s public workers.
Thousands of protesters flooded Madison in support of unions and public sector workers, shouting, “Shame! Shame!”
Though such opponents derided the bill as a politically-motivated weakening of union power, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker characterized the bill as necessary for balancing the state budget. In an interview with The Associated Press, Walker said, “What we’re doing here, I think, is progressive. It’s innovative.
The approved budget bill was originally part of a larger bill, but passage was stalled after 14 Senate Democrats attempted to block it by fleeing to Illinois, leaving the Senate short of the 3/5 quorum required to pass some fiscal legislation.
Wisconsin Minority Leader Peter Barca filed a complaint arguing that the impromptu vote violated the state’s Open Meetings law, which requires 24 hours notice for government meetings unless “impossible or impractical.”
The law states that “in no case may the notice be provided less than 2 hours in advance of the meeting.”
Barca maintains that he was notified less than two hours before the meeting.
The budget repair bill limits collective bargaining to wages, restricts wages to inflation, increases the amount employees pay for health insurance and pensions and gives union members the right not to pay dues.
The bill also requires unions to hold annual certification votes.
Detractors are concerned that such a measure will weaken unions by forcing their yearly energies on certification instead of representing workers.
The bill exempts firefighters and law enforcement, though representatives of both demonstrated against the “anti-union” bill.
Some union leaders, including Firefighters Local 311 President Joe Conway, urged a boycott and withdrawal from M&I Bank for campaign contributions to Governor Walker.
M&I Bank responded, however, with a statement that denied giving contributions to Walker.
Concern over the advancement of an “anti-union” agenda was not confined to Wisconsin.
The International Association of Fire Fighters announced that it was buying newspaper and television advertising in Ohio and Florida, where legislation similar to the Wisconsin bill has been proposed.
Junior Logan Engle, who supports the budget repair bill, said, “I view the passage of the Wisconsin reform as a victory for our country and am very excited for developments in my own state of Ohio.
“Union collective bargaining privileges needed to be limited to the increase in inflation. States do not have the financial resources to continue the practice of overcompensating public employees. In the long term, these changes will benefit the taxpayer wallets and help level the playing field.”
Junior Austin Ashby, a former education major, had a different perspective.
Ashby abandoned his plans of becoming a teacher partly due to efforts like the Wisconsin “anti-union” bill.
“The current treatment of teachers in the public school system is horrible,” he said. “At this point, I am not planning to follow the route of an educator.”
Micheal Angelo Rumore can be reached at michealangelorumore@gmail.com.