Republican lawmakers announced Friday they will hold an extraordinary session to fast track legislation to make Wisconsin a right-to-work state.
The legislation will be discussed in an extraordinary session, a session with a specific focus generally used to expedite a certain bill.
Lawmakers have been exploring the option of banning laws that require workers to pay union fees — a move that would essentially dismantle private sector unions — for months. Gov. Scott Walker has committed to signing such legislation if it arrives at his desk.
“Governor Walker continues to focus on budget priorities to grow our economy and to streamline state government. With that said, Governor Walker co-sponsored right-to-work legislation as a lawmaker and supports the policy,” Walker’s spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said in an email to the Cap Times. “If this bill makes it to his desk, Governor Walker will sign it into law.”
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said in a public hearing that debate in the Senate on the legislation will begin Wednesday, but the Assembly will not hold a vote until the beginning of March.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said in a statement he welcomes the opportunity to take up the legislation, which he said would give Wisconsin workers the freedom to choose to join a union.
“Wisconsin should be a right-to-work state,” Vos said. “The public widely supports worker freedom and the potential positive impact to the state’s economy can no longer be ignored.”
Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, said the decision was made simply to be a “distraction from Walker’s budget,” which she described as ill received.
Taylor said the policies would be damaging to workers in the state and the extraordinary session was called for the sole purpose of distracting voters from the budget.
“It’s what you do when you’re losing,” Taylor said.
Fitzgerald said Friday the decision to call an extraordinary session was meant to avoid confusion and keep the focus on right to work.
“It just seemed to make sense to … stay focused on this bill, make this what is, I would say, a very simple calendar so that there’s no confusion about anything like any other bill or any other thing that we might take up,” Fitzgerald said. “It literally will be the only thing on this calendar.”
The Wisconsin American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations president Phil Neuenfeldt said previously in an interview with The Badger Herald that legislation like this is a step in the wrong direction for Wisconsin.
“This type of legislation is confusing, it’s complicated, it’s controversial, it’s wrong for workers, it’s wrong for the middle class. It puts Wisconsin on the wrong path,” Neuenfeldt said.
AFL-CIO plans to rally at the Capitol Tuesday and Wednesday to protest the bill.
