Governor Walker Predicts States will Weaken Unions
Gov. Scott Walker predicted that Wisconsin would lead states across the country in weakening unions that have negotiated compensation packages taxpayers can no longer afford while his opponents rallied for a sixth day in the Capitol in an attempt to avoid that fate.
Democratic lawmakers, union leaders and rank-and-file teachers and firefighters called on Walker to back off his plan to eliminate most collective bargaining rights for public employees. They argued the unions had already agreed to cuts in their health care and retirement benefits that could reduce take-home pay for many workers by about 8 percent, and it was time for the Republican governor to compromise.
In a Sunday morning interview from Madison with Fox News, Walker said he did not believe union leaders were really interested in giving up their benefits and cities, school districts and counties will need weakened unions to cut spending for years to come. With Democratic Senators still out of state to delay passage of the bill, Walker said he would not compromise and predicted that Wisconsin would pave the way for other states to follow suit, much like it did with welfare reform and school vouchers in the 1990s.
“We’re willing to take this as long as it takes because in the end we’re doing the right thing,” Walker said. (AP)
