Overall, Republican politicians at both the federal and state levels are facing an identity crisis. The party has lost the last two presidential elections and has not been successful in enacting much of its legislative polices at the federal level since 2008. Even so, Republican politicians have been quite successful in enacting their legislative agendas in statehouses around the country since 2010. At the state level, some Republican governors and legislatures have chosen a conservative, Tea Party-endorsed course of action while other Republican politicians have instead picked a more pragmatic path. Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature have foolishly selected the former instead of the latter; Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, and Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, have offered a new seven-day work bill that illustrates this.
In Wisconsin, certain employers must give their employees 24 consecutive hours off per week. Grothman and Born’s bill would eliminate this requirement if enacted. They argue that their bill helps both employees and employers, purportedly allowing employees to “volunteer” and work seven days in a week if they so choose. As Born said, “Here’s an opportunity for folks to work together to get things done in a positive way for the employer and the employee. It just seems like a win all the way around.”
While Born and Grothman argue that their bill is a “win-win” for employees and employers, this seems highly unlikely. An employee who does not “volunteer” to work seven days a week could find themselves out of a job if they are an at-will employee. As Catherine Ruckelshaus, legal co-director of the National Employment Law Project said, “‘Voluntary’ typically doesn’t mean that the worker has any choice in the matter. It generally means, if you want to keep your job or have a job, you have to take what the employer is describing.” Thus, this proposed legislation doesn’t really help employees “volunteer” to work more, but instead coerces them into doing so.
If this proposed legislation doesn’t actually help both employees and employers, then why was it proposed in the first place? The answer is that Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, one of Wisconsin’s biggest lobbying organizations, “convinced” Grothman and Born to propose it. The fact that this legislation is essentially the creation of an industry group, standing alone, explains why this legislation harms the interests of employees while promoting the economic interests of businesses and corporations. As Mike Browne, One Wisconsin Now deputy director, said, “There has not been some sort of outcry from small business and employees asking for this protection to be removed.”
This proposal from Republican state legislators is just one of many which demonstrate how regressive Wisconsin Republican politicians have become in contrast to some of their more pragmatic counterparts on certain issues. While some Republican-controlled statehouses, such as Michigan, have expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, Wisconsin has chosen not to —something that could cost Wisconsin employees approximately $37 million in tax penalties. Furthermore, while Nevada created its own state health care exchange, Wisconsin opted not to.
Grothman and Born’s proposed bill is but one example that demonstrates how regressive Wisconsin Republican politicians have become since 2010. Their proposal does not help employees and employers; instead it is the creation of a business lobbying organization that only cares about corporate profits. This legislation also attempts to undermine the progress accomplished by those associated with Wisconsin’s proud progressive tradition, a tradition that was exemplified by Robert La Follette, Sr.
Aaron Loudenslager (loudenslager
