Labor & Employment Law

Wisconsin Voters Back Public Employee Rights

By James Parks

Most Wisconsin voters oppose Gov. Scott Walker?s efforts to eliminate the rights of public employees to bargain for good middle-class jobs. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Wisconsin voters released today shows that 52 percent oppose weakening collective bargaining rights and just 39 percent are in favor.

The poll also revealed that nearly half of Wisconsin voters (49 percent) believe it’s good that most teachers belong to a union. Among those with children in the public school system, 58 percent believe that?s a good thing.

The NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, released yesterday, shows that nationally 62 percent of the public believes it?s unacceptable to eliminate state employees? collective bargaining rights. That?s nearly double the 33 percent who thinks it?s acceptable.

The poll also shows that 77 percent of respondents believe public employees should have the same collective bargaining rights when it comes to health care, pensions and other benefits as union employees who work for private companies.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on March 03, 2011 (boomark / email).