why Wisconsin Governor Walker should not negotiate with government unions.
WISCONSIN Why Governor Walker should not negotiate with the government unionsby BOB WILLIAMS | February 20, 2011
There are numerous reasons why Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker should not negotiate with government unions. Given union actions in the recent past, his move to eliminate collective bargaining makes sense.
After Scott Walker won the Wisconsin governor’s race last fall, the lame duck Democrat-controlled legislature and governor tried to ram through a set of more generous union contracts before Governor Walker and the Republicans took office. Those efforts failed only after then-Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker broke rank with his own party. Decker said, “Now that the voters of Wisconsin have spoken. I do not feel comfortable casting a vote in favor of these contracts.”
In addition, the teachers’ unions have not always demonstrated a willingness to make cuts when faced with a deficit. Look what happened last year in Milwaukee when the school board had a deficit, just months after the district told 482 teachers they would be laid off. The district excluded from its health insurance plan for teachers Viagra and other drugs intended for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, which was a cost of nearly $800,000 per year. The union sued the school board, alleging that at the denial of the drugs to treat erectile dysfunction amounted to sexual discrimination against male employees. Even the Democratic candidate for governor urged the president of the union to drop the suit in light of the school district’s budget problems and teacher layoffs. As the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel wrote in an editorial, “[I]t’s a matter of priorities. How many jobs could $780,000 save?”
Moreover, how can the governor negotiate with a union that engages in illegal activities? The teachers have illegally shut down the schools in at least six districts by doing a false “sick-out.” State law prohibits teachers from striking, but teachers claiming to be “sick” last week led to the closing of 15 school districts in the state. On Saturday, union demonstrators were given false sick leave slips by doctors and nurses.
Given all of the above, it’s no wonder Gov. Walker isn’t eager to negotiate with government unions.
