Explained in an NYT opinion piece by Daniel DiSalvo. Here’s the key point, it’s not wage concessions or having to pay more for their healthcare or pension…
That step would fundamentally alter the relationship of unions to government. Walker seeks to strip state workers — except for police and firefighters — of collective bargaining rights over anything but wages; to limit raises for union (but not nonunion) members to increases in the Consumer Price Index; to stop the state from collecting union dues; and to require an annual vote among employees on whether to maintain a union. Combined these measures are likely to cripple nearly every public employee union in the state.
To what end?
If successful, Walker’s plan may put Wisconsin on a course to become more like Texas or Virginia (two states that weathered the recession relatively well), where most collective bargaining in the public sector is illegal and the percentage of unionized public employees is paltry. His hope is that in the future, Wisconsin will have as bright a fiscal outlook as those states.
To Gov. Scott Walker’s success.
