Listen To WPR online Live Streaming Page Archive Streaming Page Click here to support WPR! Return to the WPR Home Page
Explore WPR
WPR Home
Support WPR!
Support WPR's Online Community!
Contact Us
About WPR
Newsletters and Reports
Studios, Stations and Program Schedules
Station Coverage Maps, Reception and Technical Issues
WPR Program Index
The Ideas Network
The NPR News and Classical Network
WPR News
Internet Webcasting
WPR's National SHows
The Radio Store
Related Links

WPR Programs
Search wpr.org
This Month's Featured Stories
NEWS LINKS: WPR News Home | Bureaus | Reporters | Awards
FEATURES: Specials, Series & Documentaries | Wisconsin Vote | Wisconsin Life | StoryCorps
WALKER HAS NO PLANS TO CHANGE STATE LABOR LAWS WPR News - Walker Has No Plans To Change State Labor Laws
Thursday December 20, 2012 by Shawn Johnson

Governor Scott Walker says the only reason he'd push any changes to state labor laws next session is if a higher court were to strike down portions of Wisconsin's "Act 10."

Gov. Walker's law that curbed collective bargaining rights for public employees caused massive protests last session and drove an unprecedented round of recall elections. It's currently being fought over in multiple state and federal courtrooms. A Dane County Circuit Court declared many pieces of the law null and void.

Walker has said he doesn't want to make more major changes to union laws next session. However, he says, "The only possible exception to that would be if somehow if the courts, if the Supreme Court ultimately came back and said the law could only be upheld if--and it prescribed something--then I think for obvious logical reasons we'd want to correct that."

The governor has in the past supported a right to work law like the one that was just signed in Michigan and some Republicans think now is the time for Wisconsin to follow suit. Other GOP lawmakers think Walker's collective bargaining law should be expanded to curb union rights for police and firefighters. But the governor says now's not the time, "And even, I think some of those who support right-to-work understand why I'm pushing this. And that is after a year of protests, a year of recalls and this year another year of at least part of the year of recalls, for employers in the state, particularly small businesses, even though they overwhelmingly like what we're doing, they don't need any distractions. They don't need anything that creates a huge amount of uncertainty. And debates, discussions over issues like this would go down that path. And as a leader, I just don't want us doing that."

Walker wouldn't go so far as to say there won't be "tweaks" to Act 10 next year.  The next legislative session begins in January.  

 

You can also listen to this story or download it now! (1:29)



Support for WPR provided by

Shop Now!



Support WPR!


HOME | ABOUT | PROGRAM INDEX | MEMBERSHIP | SPONSORSHIPS | WPR NEWS
IDEAS NETWORK | NEWS & CLASSICAL NETWORK | RADIO STORE
LIVE STREAMS | AUDIO ARCHIVES

For questions or comments about our programming, call Audience Services
at 1-800-747-7444, email us at listener@wpr.org, or use our Online Feedback Form.
View our Privacy Policy.   Send comments about our website to webmaster@wpr.org.

©2013 by Wisconsin Public Radio - a service of the
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board
and University of Wisconsin - Extension.