By Scott Bauer
Associated Press
MADISON - The state Senate will act quickly to pass a bill making Wisconsin a right-to-work state, the Republican majority leader said Thursday, thrusting the hot-button issue to the forefront even though Gov. Scott Walker has repeatedly said he doesn't want the Legislature to take it up.
"I don't know how we get through the session without having this debate," Sen. Scott Fitzgerald said. He first talked about his intentions during a morning interview on WTMJ.
Wisconsin became the focus of a national fight over union rights in 2011 when Walker pushed through a law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public-sector workers, no longer requiring them to join a union or have dues automatically deducted. That triggered weeks of massive protests and led to a recall election that Walker won in 2012.
That battle raised his profile to the point that he's considering a run for president. So, Walker may not want to stir up a new labor fight with that decision still looming, said Paul Secunda, labor law professor and program coordinator for Marquette Law School's Labor and Employment Law Program in Milwaukee.
"I see this being a more live issue in 2017 or 2018," Secunda said.
Walker didn't propose prohibiting unions from forcing private-sector workers to join or pay dues as a condition of employment in 2011, but has supported the concept and introduced a bill when he was a freshman member of the Assembly in 1993.
During his re-election campaign this year, Walker said right-to-work was not a priority and would be a distraction. He repeated that position when asked about it Wednesday.
But Fitzgerald's comments indicate the Senate is going to move aggressively whether Walker likes it or not.
Fitzgerald also suggested trade unions could be exempted from the law, just as police and firefighters were excluded from the 2011 law. No other state has such an exemption, which would almost certainly be subject to a legal challenge, Secunda said.
Twenty-four other states, including neighboring Michigan, Indiana and Iowa, have right-to-work laws.
No bill has been drafted, Fitzgerald said, and he's looking at other states to see what may work in Wisconsin.
"We don't know yet what can or can't be done," he said.
Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick repeated the governor's position Thursday without coming out against Fitzgerald's plan.
"As he has said previously, Governor Walker's focus is on growing Wisconsin's economy and creating jobs," Patrick said in a statement. "Anything that distracts from that is not a priority for him."
Republican state Rep. Chris Kapenga has said he will introduce a right-to-work bill, and a longtime conservative activist this week announced the formation of a group called Wisconsin Right to Work to push the issue.
Supporters of right-to-work laws say they give workers more freedom since they aren't required to join unions or have dues deducted, and argue such laws help attract businesses. Opponents, including Democrats and labor unions, argue the laws are bad for workers, hurt the economy and are designed to weaken union power and political clout.
"We'll fight this every step of the way," said Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO.
Democrats don't have the votes to stop a right-to-work bill in Wisconsin. Their leaders in the Senate and Assembly have urged Walker to stop the bill before it comes up for a vote.
Last year, 12.3 percent of private- and public-sector workers were members of unions in Wisconsin, just above the national average of 11.3 percent, based on figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Associated Press
MADISON - The state Senate will act quickly to pass a bill making Wisconsin a right-to-work state, the Republican majority leader said Thursday, thrusting the hot-button issue to the forefront even though Gov. Scott Walker has repeatedly said he doesn't want the Legislature to take it up.
"I don't know how we get through the session without having this debate," Sen. Scott Fitzgerald said. He first talked about his intentions during a morning interview on WTMJ.
Wisconsin became the focus of a national fight over union rights in 2011 when Walker pushed through a law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public-sector workers, no longer requiring them to join a union or have dues automatically deducted. That triggered weeks of massive protests and led to a recall election that Walker won in 2012.
That battle raised his profile to the point that he's considering a run for president. So, Walker may not want to stir up a new labor fight with that decision still looming, said Paul Secunda, labor law professor and program coordinator for Marquette Law School's Labor and Employment Law Program in Milwaukee.
"I see this being a more live issue in 2017 or 2018," Secunda said.
Walker didn't propose prohibiting unions from forcing private-sector workers to join or pay dues as a condition of employment in 2011, but has supported the concept and introduced a bill when he was a freshman member of the Assembly in 1993.
During his re-election campaign this year, Walker said right-to-work was not a priority and would be a distraction. He repeated that position when asked about it Wednesday.
But Fitzgerald's comments indicate the Senate is going to move aggressively whether Walker likes it or not.
Fitzgerald also suggested trade unions could be exempted from the law, just as police and firefighters were excluded from the 2011 law. No other state has such an exemption, which would almost certainly be subject to a legal challenge, Secunda said.
Twenty-four other states, including neighboring Michigan, Indiana and Iowa, have right-to-work laws.
No bill has been drafted, Fitzgerald said, and he's looking at other states to see what may work in Wisconsin.
"We don't know yet what can or can't be done," he said.
Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick repeated the governor's position Thursday without coming out against Fitzgerald's plan.
"As he has said previously, Governor Walker's focus is on growing Wisconsin's economy and creating jobs," Patrick said in a statement. "Anything that distracts from that is not a priority for him."
Republican state Rep. Chris Kapenga has said he will introduce a right-to-work bill, and a longtime conservative activist this week announced the formation of a group called Wisconsin Right to Work to push the issue.
Supporters of right-to-work laws say they give workers more freedom since they aren't required to join unions or have dues deducted, and argue such laws help attract businesses. Opponents, including Democrats and labor unions, argue the laws are bad for workers, hurt the economy and are designed to weaken union power and political clout.
"We'll fight this every step of the way," said Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO.
Democrats don't have the votes to stop a right-to-work bill in Wisconsin. Their leaders in the Senate and Assembly have urged Walker to stop the bill before it comes up for a vote.
Last year, 12.3 percent of private- and public-sector workers were members of unions in Wisconsin, just above the national average of 11.3 percent, based on figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.