Walker signs Right to Work into law

Amidst strong opposition from Wisconsin citizens and businesses across the state, Gov. Walker signed Right to Work into law today, making Wisconsin the 25th RTW state in the nation.  

By signing Right to Work, Gov. Walker continues his crusade on the hard-working, middle-class families of Wisconsin. From refusing to expand BadgerCare for the sick, to enacting tax cuts for the rich,  gutting education and eroding collective bargaining rights for working people – Gov. Walker has shown a true disregard for Wisconsin families who work hard every day to put food on the table and a roof over their head. 

By enacting Right to Work, Gov. Walker continues to tip the scales against working class families in favor of his millionaire and billionaire buddies who fund his campaign.  Gov. Walker’s political stock amongst the campaign funding elite may be rising, but it is the people of Wisconsin who are paying the price of his unchecked political ambition. 

Wisconsin citizens should ask the Governor, who called for this Right to Work law?  Not workers and not our state’s employers who went on record to acknowledge the value unions bring to their companies. It’s time Scott Walker wakes up from his dream of higher office long enough to remember who he took an oath to serve – the working families of Wisconsin not extremist out-of-state donors.

Brothers and sisters, we will continue to stand up and fight for social and economic justice for all people.  We will never give up fighting for the rights of all workers.  We will never give up fighting for a better Wisconsin.

We will build upon solidarity and togetherness and honor the struggle of the workers who came before us who fought for safe working conditions, the 8-hour workday, child labor laws and dignity for working people. 

We move forward, shoulder to shoulder, together with our brothers and sisters to continue to stand up for Wisconsin values and a better society for all who labor. 

Comments

[Scott4wi]

Nor should you give up...but you should evolve.

Something you should have done over 30 years ago when, not RTW, but Globalization emerged. When your ranks were nearly 40% of the workforce down now to under 11%. When you should have started to shift your thought-process from the 1930's and looked AHEAD of you towards the 21st century. When you should have rolled out retraining and educational programs for your membership and their CHILDREN so that the VALUE of membership wouldn't tarnish and degrade over time to the perception it is today.

So...now you need to ask yourselves..."How do we SELL the value of our organization to our members to keep them and to future TECH-knowledgable children and teenagers????"

When you're ready to answer THAT question....let me know. Scott Espeseth, scott4wi@gmail.com

[Keith]

Right to work does not ban unions. It gives non-union workers the ability to work in a place that has accepted a union. If there is value in the "product" you provide then workers will naturally join and accept the dues required to be a member. If you can't force the dues then you must provide value and encourage loyalty enough that people chose to pay the dues.

[Lynn Ellis]

I live in a RTW for less state and belonged to the Union my entire 25 years at my job. I had worked in non union shops and didn't get health insurance, no paid holidays, no paid sick days, no savings plan and definetly no representation. Everyone says the Union doesn't do anything for its people but I will have to disagree. If we left it up to most companies to give us the benefits a Union fought for we'd be waiting till dooms day. As far as scabs (still collecting all benefits) go, they wouldn't join our Union and they were very proud of themselves for so called bucking the system. It made for a difficult place to work. I'm really not sure why this has gotten to the point it is because the Union just gives us a living wage and the benefits needed to bring our standard of living up to middle class. Is that too much to ask for?