Private sector employees have increasingly been paying higher insurance premiums while foregoing significant wage increases; often, these increases have barely kept pace with cost of living increases. Conservatives have argued in favor of requiring public sector employees to pay the same respective share towards their benefit packages as private sector employees, and are using this opportunity as a golden one to cripple organized labor – a stalwart of Democratic support. Conservatives contend that government contributions to public employees’ benefits have bloated government budgets and are causing future spending to spiral out of control. The insidious point that isn’t always kept in mind is that private sector unions have had their effectiveness eroded as well. There have been several movements to prevent private unions from automatically collecting dues from employees’ paychecks, under the guise of “paycheck protection” schemes that were promoted to benefit employees.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has had a history of using “slash & burn” tactics in taking aggressive steps to trim budgets, although he hasn’t explicitly focused on unions. There is no incentive for Walker to take an alternative approach in order to avoid controversy or sidestep the potential backlash of union sympathizers, because since 2003 in Wisconsin, Walker has prevailed and progressed despite the outrage of his actions. The question that some of Walker’s opponents in WI have asked is whether his actions are determined to restore Wisconsin to fiscal balance or part of a grander (national?) scheme to weaken unions by first eradicating their collective bargaining power then attempting to decimate Democratic support by affecting the voting electorate through changes in registration laws and redistricting. There are staunch advocates of Walker’s plans when discussions focus on his vision to restore the great state of Wisconsin to its longstanding position of fiscal responsibility; however, when viewed in light of how much WI Republicans wish to return to power as well as undermine President Obama, the nature of his motivation seem a great deal more nefarious.

Keenan Walker