Legal Commentary

Walker's Senseless Explanation For Permitting Police And Firefighters To Collectively Bargain

By Big Tent Democrat

James Joyner reports on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's explanation for exempting police and firefighters from his assault on collective bargaining rights makes sense. Joyner wrties:

On NPR this morning, Walker answered that he couldn’t take the risk of cops and firefighters going out on strike and allow mayhem to ensue. But that’s an appeal to consequences — and a very dangerous one — rather than a principled reason.

How does this explain why Walker is exempting police and firefighters from his assault on collective bargaining rights? Indeed, unless police and firefighters are not prohibited from striking by law (think PATCO), permitting them collective bargaining rights makes the use of a strike more likely, not less. Indeed, Walker's argument provides stronger support for limiting the collective bargaining rights of police and firefighters than for other state employees. After all, if state employees who are not police and firefighters can strike without causing mayhem, then there is less risk in permitting them collective bargaining rights. But of course nothing Walker has said on the subject has made any sense at face value.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on February 22, 2011 (boomark / email).