Scott Walker, Unions, and Why We Should All Be Worried

UPDATE: This has passed thorough the committee. It will now go to both houses.

DISCLAIMER: I use to live in Wisconsin. I have family there. I'd love to go back there one day to live. My husband is not union though many of my inlaws are. And I want to warn you this will be long. I'd also like to thank Trista Serrano who is the secretary of her local AFSCME local 3777 for the pictures she's letting me use from the rallies. These are from Madison, Wisconsin.

I know I've said I don't do politics on this blog. However, this is too important. What is happening in Wisconsin can happen in your state. If you haven't heard, Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin budget repair proposal would effectively end collective bargaining for most of the approximately 175,000 public workers in Wisconsin. Yes, you heard this right — he is trying to bust the union. Walker's plan would make workers pay half the costs of their pensions, at least 12.6 percent of their health care premiums, and state employees' costs would go up by an average of 8 percent. The changes would save the state $30 million by June 30 and $300 million over the next two years. Unions could still represent workers, but could not seek pay increases above the Consumer Price Index unless approved by a public referendum. (Think of how many on your local school referendums have passed. None lately? Guess how this would work!) Unions also could not force employees to pay dues and would have to hold annual votes to stay organized. Local police, firefighters and state troopers would retain their collective bargaining rights. He will NOT even talk to the unions. He said it's his way or he'll call in the National Guard. (As a mom, I consider that quite the threat. It's like me telling the kids wait till your father gets home (aff).) He is pushing this through as fast as possible. Since both houses in Wisconsin are controlled by Republicans and Scott Walker is a Republican, this is going to go through. Be afraid. Be very afraid. This could be your backyard.

I can't tell you how many people have told me that they don't care for unions. They forget that the private sectors pays what it does and you have the benefits that you do due to what unions have fought for for years for their members. If public sector pay falls, so will yours. This effects the university system, nurses, teachers, state employees. This effects your neighbors, your friends, your family. This isn't us and against them. This is what doing what is right versus doing what is wrong. We are talking about Ashwaubenon (it's what you would all call a suburb of Green Bay) losing about $1 million in spending from this. There are about 18,000 people who live there. I don't have population stats for Green Bay, but I've heard that $7 million of spending gone from there. As my friend Elissa asked me:

If the middle class loses discretionary income, how many new Fords are they going to be buying? How many coffees from the local coffee shop? What about jewelry from the mom & pop jewelry store downtown? Early estimates are that at least 10,000 private sector jobs will be lost…

I wanted to put this in perspective for you all. What this will do to real people. My first story is from Elizabeth:

My family is in a tailspin regarding this budget “fix”. I am a stay at home (aff) mom of three. My husband is a public school choir and theater teacher in a rural district in WI. He has two bachelor degrees and a Masters degree. He gets paid less than $50,000/year and that includes being the Variety Show and Musical Director (all extra curricular activities that result in the equivalent of a second job for a few months a year.) He works in a very supportive district but even his district has had to go through layoffs.

I believe the $400/month decrease will cause us tremendous pain. I am a small business owner in that I teach piano lessons out of my home. If we lose this money I would need to take on more students and possibly lower my rates (which have remained the same for the last 10 years.) Who is going to afford piano lessons if they can't pay their bills? How are we going to pay our bills with a $400/month paycut with no notice?

I guess my kids won't be in dance or karate. I guess we will forgo basic cable. We already have no gym membership, no phone land line and we already shop generic and coupons at the grocery store to make ends meet. We drive 2 (aff) cars – a '97 and a '99 – both with over 135,000 miles. We own those outright and already had the plan to drive them into the ground. We will not spend money in the community – no dinners out – no movies – no Target runs. That is for sure. All of this STILL will not make up the difference. Oh – did I mention we are still paying off student loans for said education?

I was going to go back to school to be a nurse when my youngest goes to school. I guess that will go to the back burner again. You see we were already making sacrifices to live on public sector salary. I simply don't understand how doing any more is going to help.

Now let's talk about destroying the unions. Who will protect my husband from being fired for having too much education? Who will speak for the teacher's best interests? Teachers unions have already agreed to lower salaries to maintain their benefits. Now Gov. Walker wants to lower salaries even more by taking away those benefits? Who does Walker think he is that he can just come in and bully us into taking away our rights? He uses scare tactics and rhetoric to get other Republicans on his side. It is the union issue that has me the most worried. Unions set a standard for the rest of the working class. It is taking power away from workers. It is saying that their voice isn't as important as lawmakers voices.

I agree that we have to spend within our means as a state. We need to balance the budget. This looks like a poorly veiled effort to destroy collective bargaining in the name of budget cuts. Apples and oranges. Let's look at the whole picture and give the Wisconsin middle class the right to be heard. I am sure we can come up with a more productive solution than this. And I am sure we don't have to pit middle class public sector against middle class private sector to get it done.

Thank you.

My second story is from Val:

Wisconsin has been significantly effected by Scott Walker's proposed bill to have state union employees pay in to their pensions and health insurance, but the biggest blow has been the reduction of union member rights to collective bargaining.

I am not currently a union member, but I am a special education coordinator in a school district and I have spent a lot of time talking about this with staff. Most teachers understand a small increase in what they pay in to pension and/or retirement. However, many of them have been planning for their financial futures for many years. This amount-which is reported to be about $5000 per year per teacher, can make the job of teaching go from reasonable job to support our family, to a job that can not support a family.

The financial issue would cause chaos, but the addition of the decrease in worker's rights is unbelievable. Why does governor Walker care if we bargain about the length of the school day, or number of in-service days. Those will not effect the budget deficit. However, it will take away the basic human right to have a say in your working conditions.
As a tax payer, former union member, and education advocate I am appalled at the behavior of this elected official. I am unable to attend the huge peaceful protests in Madison, but I will be praying that Mr. Walker hears the people of the state and gives this bill ample time for discussion and open dialog. Without that, we are losing our democratic right to a representative government. Gov. Walker is obviously not representing the wishes of his constituants

And lastly I have Anne:

I think that WI should increase its sales tax to 6% statewide to pay the deficit and that collective bargaining rights shouldn't be touched. Our teachers are already underpaid and overworked and I'm worried that when this thing is all said and done our teachers will be on strike and my children will be forced to either be taught by an unqualified substitute teacher or I will have to home-school them. I am seriously scared to see what the outcome of this whole fiasco will be.

These are just a few of the stories I've heard. I'm sure I”ll have more to post in the coming days. However, I don't have time to wait. Gov. Walker tried to push this through for a vote already. Yes, he introduced this bill this last Friday and wanted a vote. I've seen letters from State Representatives trying to slow this down yet the Republicans are dead set on getting this through.

But Lisa, what about their deficit? Well, that's where things get interesting. Wisconsin has been managed well enough that the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau recently released a memo detailing how the state will end the 2009-2011 budget biennium with a budget surplus of $121.4 million (dated Jan. 31). WAIT??!!!?? Isn't Scott Walker telling people that they are $137 million in debt? One Wisconsin Now, the progressive watchdog group, explains:

“Since his inauguration in early January, Walker has approved $140 million in new special-interest spending that includes:

• $25 million for an economic development fund for job creation that still has $73 million due to a lack of job creation. Walker is creating a $25 million hole which will not create or retain jobs.

• $48 million for private health savings accounts, which primarily benefit the wealthy. A study from the federal Governmental Accountability Office showed the average adjusted gross income of HSA participants was $139,000 and nearly half of HSA participants reported withdrawing nothing from their HSA, evidence that it is serving as a tax shelter for wealthy participants.

• $67 million for a tax shift plan, so ill-conceived that at best the benefit provided to ‘job creators’ would be less than a dollar a day per new job, and may be as little as 30 cents a day.”

State Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison: “In one fell swoop, Gov. Walker is trying to institute a sweeping radical and dangerous notion that will return Wisconsin to the days when land barons and railroad tycoons controlled the political elites in Madison.”

So what's his end game? Get rid of the unions. The unions back Democratic candidates. Get rid of the unions, get rid of your competition. The kicker is that if Wisconsin raised their sales tax (and I don't want to hear any bitching on that one since I pay 10% sales tax and my income taxes just went up 67%) 1% that they'd have that paid off in 4 years.

Click here, if you'd like to watch the budget hearing in progress.

I'd love to know your thoughts. 🙂 Even if you don't agree with me. (And if you live in WI, please contact your state representative.)

AND a side note: This is the same governor who turned down a high speed rail grant and a broadband grant from the federal government that would have brought millions upon millions of dollars into the state and jobs too.

AND another thought: Why isn't the legislature giving up any of their benefits? What is Gov. Walker giving up?

Lisa Martin

In April 2006, Lisa began blogging to stay connected with distant relatives and friends. As she delved into blogging, she discovered the potential to assist others by sharing her experiences. Lisa has actively engaged in numerous exclusive media ventures. Notable among these are her participation in events such as the Sony Mommy Bloggers Event, the Pampers Mommy Bloggers Event, the Epson Event in Chicago, the Stouffers Event, a memorable yacht excursion with Lands End, collaborations with 1-800-Baskets, an exclusive tour for bloggers by Mrs. Prindable’s, partnerships with Hallmark, PopCap games, Chicago Cubs Mastercard Priceless Events, and Rug Doctor. In addition, she has collaborated with Nutrisystem on a weight loss initiative, teamed up with Buick and Chevy, and served as a brand ambassador for Sprint. Lisa's collaboration portfolio also extends to Disney, where she has participated in press trips for significant movies such as Frozen, Guardians of the Galaxy, McFarland USA, The Good Dinosaur, The BFG, and Cars 3. Notably, for projects like Frozen, The BFG, and Cars 3, she was granted the privilege of walking the red carpet and conducting interviews with celebrities. The impact of Lisa's blog has gained recognition, with The New York Times referencing her content. Moreover, she has been featured in interviews by respected publications such as the Southtown Star, The Chicago Sun Times, and inside.

This Post Has 16 Comments

  1. New Buffalo MI fishi

    This country is dooming itself to go back to our own history, which is similar to what is going on in Mexico now. There is no social safety net there,and no ability to have organized labor, so people have to flee that country. Yet Mexico is one of the richest countries in the world. The rich will never pay people what they are worth, because they have to make money off of what someone's labor is worth. Labor unions are the only tool that the people have to tighten that margin between the actual worth of the labor and the amount of pay one gets. Now we have managed to build a society where the rich has managed to make the government pay for their employee's raises in the form of tax cuts and earned income credits. It is way too complex to explain in a paragraph, and sadly it is way way too complex for the conservati­ve mind to understand­.

  2. Atlanta Roofing

    I think the lesson here, when this is coupled with the story David is covering, is that conservatives are pushing change far beyond where they have public support – which creates an great opportunity for push back. In fact, while this may be an extreme case, most of the agenda is pretty unpopular. The lack of push back has made them arrogant. If you could create these sort of protests everywhere, I suspect the public would rise up against the TP. Question is, how do you create it?

    1. Brenda

      I agree. They are pushing too far and this I think is what we need to really start people pushing back.

  3. Elissa

    Good post Lisa!

    Wisconsin is kind of a "bellwether" state right now for this. If Walker's bill passes, look for similar bills in Illinois and Indiana. Ohio is already debating theirs. One person on Twitter pointed out that this is likely an overarching Republican strategy to get rid of unions – and they're starting with Wisconsin because Walker is the most expendable. I think that's actually plausible. Walker doesn't have a college degree and I can't imagine him moving up beyond governor (although crappy things have happened to us lately, what with Feingold losing last fall and all).

    1. Lisa

      Elissa, you've hit the nail on the head of why I am so concerned about this. I'm in IL, and though a strong union town, it could happen here too. I just keep thinking about that poem about how they came for me and I just watched until it was my turn for them to take me away. I don't want to have stood by and watched.

  4. Debra

    ANNUAL reauthorization? Not only does he want to bust the unions, he wants to bury them in paperwork, too. Ridiculous!

    And you're absolutely right about it being "right v wrong" instead of "us v them." Yes, some unions have their problems, but I think people need to step back and take a hard look at all the good they've done for the middle class. At least, what's left of the middle class, and I don't think it's a coincidence that the middle class is disappearing at the same rate that unions are.

  5. Araantxa

    "ignorance is a bliss" and unfortunately the leader is exercising this saying at its fullest..and to keep the majority of the constituents in such status quo benefits him and others alike. Shameful how this country is disintegrating….values, morale etc. Is it not our power as contituents to stand up and make a difference in a "DEMOCRATIC nation-state?"…..why is it we are becoming so subordinate to idiots as Walker?

  6. Otto

    Public sector jobs and benefits are paid from the private sector. Every dollar you take from the private sector is one less dollar they spend on what they want. Budget needs fixed and the public sector wages are way above median wage.

  7. Chris

    Wisconsin may begin to resemble Libya in the near future if this entire process occurs…..It appears and even after reading Fox News that it is a blatant attempt to destroy unions and nothing else…..The man is a pawn to the rich and is being put on front and center to help the rich get richer…..

  8. David Gamble

    I don't recall scott walker even mentioning collective bargining in his campaign. That is the highest order of election fraud. I would also would be willing to pay a half percent more for my non food and medicine purchases if It rescues collective bargining in our state.

  9. Amy

    People look you are willing to spend hours on your computer playing sense-less games that you get nothing from. Take a couple minutes of your day and look at what is really happening in WI! Everyone needs to realize that unions have not only stood up for the rights of union workers but they have made drastic changes for all workers nation-wide.Allowing something like Walker is proposing to happen will be completely devistating and totally disable workers rights everywhere! State workers have given up so much to keep a couple things. State workers have dealt with hiring freezes, n…o pay increases, and furlough days for years now. The only thing we asked for was to keep our few benefits left. Honestly look at your own situation and tell me you would be willing to have done this at your job. We are not complaining about the fact that we have done this, we just want you to be aware that as a union we are not trying to take take take as some people are trying to say. We are standing up for the rights of all workers throughout the nation and we just want everyone to look at the big picture that is really happening. Letting the unions be eliminated will only cause more problems for everyone. If you are willing to give up your rights as an american worker and let the government tell you what job you will do and what you will accept for pay, and benefits then by all means turn your back on all this and when it starts coming to you in the public sector don't look to us for any support or sympathy or answers to how did this happen! Stand up not just for unions but for the rights of workers everywhere!

  10. Vaughn

    These are 2 beautiful letters composed by two working class women — middle class ladies who are afraid they are about to lose their middle class status. Because of the buffoon we just got for governor, most of us, both public and private working class, middle class citizens are about to be introduced to the poor class — all on the whims of one clown who is backed by the very rich. Is it ironical that while this is happening the Middle East is erupting in chaos because of dictatorial policies causing food shortages and human rights disgrace? Not at all. More and more of the super rich are supporting the far right of our government. The result of this is plutocracy, not democracy. YOU and I will no longer have a say about anything. No, at least not until we begin running after the rich to take bread from them to nourish our starving families. Sound far fetched? It's a little of what a failed democracy will look like. I won't go into the horror about the rest.

  11. Brian

    What he is doing seems reasonable the only other choice he has is to raise taxes to pay for the state workers who are mostly overpaid. Then we say "make workers pay half the costs of their pensions.." OH NO really…Its been like that for years at least they still have a pension.

    If States and federal government keep handing out other peoples money Mine and yours to pay for over priced Union workers who believe they are entitled to much for just breathing the state will go broke.

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