Labor & Employment Law

Walker Has Long Record of Trying to Intimidate Workers

By Mike Hall

When Wis. Gov. Scott Walker (R) appears in public, he tries to come across as a reasonable man–he says it?s all about the budget, not workers or unions or political paybacks.

We all know that?s?well let?s put this way, there?s a lot of it across Wisconsin?s farms.

He?s certainly not above trying to intimidate the public-service workers who in public he says he respects and in private derides.

Walker has long record attacking public employees? rights to bargain for good jobs?and having his hand slapped by the legal system, too. Bob Allen, AFSCME Council 24 communications director, sends us this snapshot of Walker?s record.

• In Oct, 2010, the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC) found that Milwaukee County, under then-County Executive Walker, failed to bargain in good faith with AFSCME District Council 48.  Walker?s own bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with county workers in late 2009, but within days he announced a budget that ignored the agreement and assumed major concessions that had not been negotiated.  At that point, he threatened major layoffs unless unions accepted the un-negotiated concessions. Walker?s team had not discussed the budget?s impact with the union.

• Walker?s unilateral decision to replace Milwaukee County Courthouse security staff with private contractors also was overruled by a WERC arbitrator on Jan. 10.  The arbitrator ordered the county to reinstate county security staff with back pay, a decision that could cost the county $430,000.

• In Dec. 2010, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals upheld an arbitrator’s decision that Walker overstepped his powers by trying to impose a 35-hour work week on Milwaukee County workers.  Walker cited a budget crisis as the need for chopping five hours off the workweek without talking to the union. The arbitrator and court did not agree.

• In 2006, the union sought and won temporary restraining order to stop layoffs threatened by Walker in an attempt to force concessions.

Says Allen:

In…his past actions, the governor has shown he is not interested in solving the budget crisis.  He?s only interested in taking away the right of workers to have any say in the workplace.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on February 24, 2011 (boomark / email).