One of the rallying cries of pro-labor protesters for more than a week has been the call and response, “What’s disgusting? Union busting!” The protesters seem to have hit the nail on the head with this one. The central issue in Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal is not health care benefits nor pension funds. It’s actually not about the money at all. What is at stake is whether unions will have the right to organize and bargain collectively. What has continually been portrayed as an economic issue is in fact not a matter of fiscal policy at all. It is a political issue, and it cuts deep into the already massive divide between the Republican and Democratic parties.
Some talk-show hosts have claimed Wisconsin is predicted to run a budget surplus this year, and this resulted in no shortage of angry signs claiming the budget crisis is a hoax Walker is using as an excuse to attack organized labor. These claims have always been false. Wisconsin does have a budget gap, and while it is by no means the largest in the country, it still adds up to some $137 million – sufficient cause for some serious cutbacks. The budget gap is real, and, regardless of political disagreement, the state checkbook does have to be balanced sooner or later. With that said, stripping labor unions of their political clout is by no means a solution to the budget problem.
The idea behind eliminating unions is that their collective bargaining keeps salaries high and drains the state pocketbook. What this strategy overlooks is the fact that unions have two priorities, the first being wages, the second being job creation. Governors in other states with budget deficits, such as Andrew Cuomo in New York, have taken a different approach in dealing with public sector unions, by putting pressure on them to make salary concessions in order to avoid layoffs. This approach allows unions to play an active role in making a new budget, and so far, it seems to be working. Wisconsin public employees have stated they are willing to make the financial concessions included in Walker’s budget bill, but they are not willing to give up their right to organize. So why is Walker so relentless about abolishing collective bargaining?
The move to strip unions of their power is not a part of new economic policy, but an aggressive political strategy. Unions have traditionally been a stronghold of Democratic support, contributing both votes and campaign contributions. Walker’s move against labor unions is a direct attack on an important voting block for the Democratic Party. Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign claims crippling unions “would be a huge landscape-altering type of action, and it would tilt the scales significantly in favor of the Republicans.” Nancy McClean, a labor expert from Duke University, says labor unions are “the most important mass membership, get-out-the vote wing of the Democratic Party.” Yes, the infamous bill will make life harder for public employees, and it may even be an attack on Wisconsin’s families, but most importantly it is an attack on Scott Walker’s opponents on Capitol Square, and nationwide for that matter. Taking on organized labor is a concerted effort to undercut a significant bloc of
Democratic support.
The most concerning aspect of Scott Walker’s attempt to eliminate collective bargaining is that it has from the beginning been presented under false pretenses. In the wake of the recession, economic policy has consistently been used to justify all sorts of political agendas. This is exactly what Scott Walker is trying to do in passing a budget bill loaded with political strategy, and his case for the economic necessity of doing away with collective bargaining does not hold water. Walker would do well to consider the fact that creating an all out protest between labor and government has resulted in a mass exodus of Democratic senators and brought operations at the Capitol to a standstill. One might ask, whose interest does this serve? The last thing the state needs, if it is seriously trying to attract business, is political upheaval. The citizens of Wisconsin can consider the idea that rather than dealing with the real, pressing issues of the state, their newly elected governor is using his executive power to push through a piece of legislation that serves the sole purpose of weakening his opposition. This is nothing more than partisan politics at its worst.
Charles Godfrey ([email protected]) is a freshman with an undecided major.
