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Scott Walker: A Fiscally Responsible Governor or a Politician Who Is Playing Favorites?

Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

There’s been a lot going on in Wisconsin in the past week. I hope most Americans are aware of the reason why so many Wisconsinites have converged on the state capital to hold demonstrations.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a Republican, claims that the state is in financial trouble. He’s asking teachers, plow drivers, janitors, nurses, garbage collectors, and other public sector workers to contribute more to their pensions and to pay a larger amount of their health premiums. It appears many of those workers are willing to negotiate with the governor and to consider having more money taken out of their paychecks for their pensions and health insurance. What those employees are not willing to do is relinquish their right to collective bargaining.

I can understand why Governor Walker is asking public employees to have more deductions taken from their paychecks during these fiscally difficult times. What I question is his budget-repair bill that would strip public employees of their right to collective bargaining. If the governor believes that taking away that right will help with the state budget shortfall, why isn’t he demanding that police, firefighters, and state troopers give up their right to collective bargaining too? Could it be political payback? Does that sound like a possibility to you?

Here is an excerpt from an article that Todd Richmond wrote for Bloomberg:

Walker has introduced a bill that would strip public employees across the board — from teachers to snowplow drivers — of their right to collectively bargain for sick leave, vacation, even the hours they work. But absolutely nothing would change for local police, fire departments and the State Patrol.

The bill smacks of political favoritism for public safety unions that supported Walker’s election bid last year and sets up new haves and have-nots in Wisconsin government, said Paul Secunda, a Marquette University professor who specializes in labor law.

“That’s called ‘thank you, I got your back,'” Secunda said. “There’s no surprise there. This is the worst type of favoritism there could be.”

 Well, Wisconsin firefighters are showing their solidarity with their fellow public employees. There’s a post at Mother Jones about an interview that Uptake’s Oliver Dykstra had with Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin. (Mother Jones also posted a video of the interview.)

Here are some of the highlights of that interview—which I’ve taken from Mother Jones:

  • “The reason that we are here is because it’s important that labor sticks together. There was a message from the governor’s office to conquer and divide…collective bargaining is not just for us, police and fire, it’s good for all involved. It’s a middle-class upbringing.”
  • “When firefighters see an emergency, one thing we do is respond. And we see an emergency in the house of labor, so that’s why we’re here.”
  • “Every day, if you notice, we lead the AFSCME employees, the SEIU employees, all the public sector employees into the building, because we are here to fight with them.”
  • “Collective bargaining is not about union rights; it’s about rights of workers…We ask Gov. Walker to come back and negotiate with the people, negotiatie with the state workers’ unions, and get things worked out, as opposed to just putting out this bill and we don’t hear from him again.”
  • “Us as firefighters, we have been exempted from this bill…There’s a 5.8 percent pay into the pension, there’s a 12.4 percent pay into the health care premium benefits…For the betterment of the government, for the betterment of the state, we don’t mind helping to pay for that. We don’t want to price ourselves out of a job. Ever. What we want to do is have a fair and equitable treatment among our members.”

    • 

I have great respect for the Wisconsin firefighters who are supporting their fellow public employees—even though they have nothing to gain politically or financially by doing so.

“We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.” ~Benjamin Franklin

Sources

Mother Jones

Bloomberg

595 thoughts on “Scott Walker: A Fiscally Responsible Governor or a Politician Who Is Playing Favorites?”

  1. From Think Progress (2/22/2011)

    The Last Time Scott Walker Went Union Busting, He Was Overruled And Wasted Taxpayer Dollars
    http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/22/scott-walker-union-wackenhut/

    The last time Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) went after public sector unions it had “disastrous results” for him and for taxpayers. As Milwaukee County Executive in 2009, Walker tried to get rid of the unionized security guards at the county courthouse and replace them with contractors, which he promised would save the county money. The County Board rejected the idea, but in March of 2010 Walker “unilaterally ordered it,” claiming there was a budget emergency. Walker hired the British security contractor Wackenhut — of Kabul Embassy sex scandal fame — to replace the guards. Unfortunately for Walker and Milwaukee taxpayers, an arbiter later ruled that Walker had overstepped his authority, and ordered the county to reinstate the unionized workers, pay backwages, and pay tens of thousands of dollars in arbiter fees. As MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow pointed out last night, Walker’s “dress rehersal” for his current union busting effort may end up costing Milwaukee taxpayers an extra half a million dollars.

    *****
    Here’s a little information about Wackenhut for you:

    Kabul U.S. Embassy Guard: Sexual Deviancy Required for Promotion
    Whistleblower Says Bosses Required Sex Acts for Guards Seeking Best shift, Promotion

    http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=8474937

  2. Stamford Liberal,

    No big deal … a couple Teamsters, maybe a few Steel Workers, maybe a couple Chargers from the NFL Players Association and 1 or 2 Longshoremen can drop by Jeff Cox’s office, … just to say hello … maybe offer to get him a cup of coffee, or polish his glasses ….

  4. rafflaw,

    “The battle lines have been drawn a long time ago, but the progressive side is just getting re-organized again. It makes me feel young again to see democracy in action.”

    You put on your “love beads” and I’ll dig out my old “granny gown.” We’ll have a return to the sixties and seventies celebration!

    🙂

  5. The Koch brothers are maniacs. They remind of the wealthy family in the Girl with the dragon Tatoo book. They have no scruples or moral and they only care about money and power. Walker has sold his soul to the devil when he hooks up with them. Who would think that the John Birch Society would rear its ugly head again?
    The battle lines have been drawn a long time ago, but the progressive side is just getting re-organized again. It makes me feel young again to see democracy in action.

  7. Elaine M,

    If the Koch call is authentic, I agree with BIL, except my feet will be doing a happy dance.

    SM & Nal,

    If this is true, I can only imagine the fallout. Never mind comparing Wisconsin to Egypt, it’ll be more like Libya. A further question – who will stop the riot police from shooting?

  8. From Mother Jones—an update on Ian Murphy’s prank call to Gov. Scott Walker story:
    http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/02/scott-walker-koch-brother-crank-call-wisconsin

    UPDATE: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s office confirms that the recording of a call between the governor and an alt-weekly writer posing as David Koch, one of the billionaire GOP financier brothers, is real and that it is actually Walker on the recording. The governor’s office has released a statement:

    The Governor takes many calls everyday,” Walkers spokesman, Cullen Werwie said in a statement. “Throughout this call the Governor maintained his appreciation for and commitment to civil discourse. He continued to say that the budget repair bill is about the budget. The phone call shows that the Governor says the same thing in private as he does in public and the lengths that others will go to disrupt the civil debate Wisconsin is having.

  9. Blouise,
    you are right abot the live ammo comment. It does take one back to the sixties and seventies. “All we are singing…is give peace a chance”

  11. Live ammunition … beginning to sound like the sixties again … been there, done that … not the least bit afraid … survived that mess and will survive this one

  12. Elaine,

    What Blouise said about the 11:21 post.

    If true – and forensics can prove it by voice matching if so – then it posses a severe threat to the Koch Bros. unfettered future access.

    Buddha Is Smiling.

  14. Elaine,
    You have been working overtime on this thread! Congrats!
    Blouise keep up the good work on the streets. I think the people’s presence on the street has had an enormous impact.
    There was an article in our local Woodstock paper about some of the Wisoncisn Democratic legislators who were meeting about 15 minutes from here to discuss strategy. I hope they can hold out a little longer!

  15. Elaine,

    If what is written is true (the link you provided at 11:21 am) then, at the least, no politician is going to take a Koch call again.

  17. Elaine M:

    he specifically says he is excluding private unions and explains why he is wanting to keep public sector unions against being able to collectively bargain.

    The only thing that chaps my ass is that a rich guy can call him up and talk with him like that. I couldn’t, they would put me on hold and tell me to send it in a letter.

  19. Mike Spindell,

    “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately” (Benjamin Franklin)

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