| Bravery and Common Sense Prevail in Wisconsin In what Reuters is calling "a confrontation with unions that could be the biggest since then President Ronald Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers nearly 30 years ago," the Wisconsin Senate approved a scaled-down version of Governor Scott Walker's (R) budget-repair bill last night that would rein in government union collective bargaining powers. After securing approval from three widely respected nonpartisan agencies—the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the Legislative Council, and the Legislative Reference Bureau—Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald removed the appropriations measures from Walker's budget, thus eliminating the need for any of the 14 truant Democratic Senators to be present for the vote. The State Assembly will take up the new version of the bill at 11 a.m. today, and if it passes, Walker will have achieved a significant victory for taxpayers everywhere.
The courage of the Wisconsin Senate conservatives cannot be understated. Before the vote, lawmakers were threatened with death and physical violence. After the vote, thousands of protesters stormed into the capitol building, ignoring announcements from police that the building was closed. Once inside, and at great risk to the public welfare, activists handcuffed some doors to the capitol shut. When security escorted the Senators to another building, a Democrat tipped off the mob, which then surrounded their cars and tried to break their windows as Senators returned home.
Senate Democrats, who are still hiding in Illinois, are now claiming that the majority's committee meeting that broke up the budget-repair bill violated Wisconsin's Open Meetings Law. But the Open Meeting Compliance Guide clearly states that when there is "good cause," only two hours' notice is required. The Senate majority did provide the two hours' notice. If the Senate Democrats' 19-day refusal to show up for work wasn't "good cause" enough, certainly minimizing the opportunity for union mob violence is.
The passion coming from liberal activists is understandable only if one believes in their apocalyptic rhetoric. Democratic Senator Timothy Cullen said the bill will "destroy public unions." And Senator Chris Larson has said, "collective bargaining is a civil right" that if removed will "kill the middle class." This is all false. First of all, since unions care more about seniority than good government, public-sector unions kill middle-class jobs; they do not protect them. Second, collective bargaining is not a right. And finally, Walker's bill will in no way "destroy public unions." Government unions are still perfectly free to practice their First Amendment rights to freedom of association, and in fact still retain more bargaining power than all unionized federal employees. They only difference is that now they will have to actively recruit members instead of forcing government employees to join them, and they will have to collect their own dues instead of getting the state government to take them directly out of workers' paychecks. And there are many more benefits as well. Governor Walker writes in today's Wall Street Journal:
When Gov. Mitch Daniels repealed collective bargaining in Indiana six years ago, it helped government become more efficient and responsive. The average pay for Indiana state employees has actually increased, and high-performing employees are rewarded with pay increases or bonuses when they do something exceptional.
Passing our budget-repair bill will help put similar reforms into place in Wisconsin. This will be good for the Badger State's hard-working taxpayers. It will also be good for state and local government employees who overwhelmingly want to do their jobs well.
Even in good economic times, the case for government subsidies for radio stations, cowboy poetry, and union dues is very weak. But in a time of fiscal crisis, all of these subsidies are patently absurd. Taxpayers throughout the country should be inspired by Walker's stand for common sense. We need more leadership like this in every state capitol and here in Washington.
*Heritage recently produced a two-minute video explaining government collective bargaining. Click here to watch.
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