Gov. Walker has failed the people of Wisconsin. From not creating jobs to attacking union rights and dismantling public education, Gov. Walker’s policies have hollowed-out Wisconsin’s middle class and trampled on democracy. Gov. Walker’s actions make it clear that he doesn’t care about working people like us. Scott Walker is a slick politician who will do or say anything to get elected. He only cares about advancing the special interests of his deep-pocketed campaign donors.
In his self-serving bid for the White House, Scott Walker has broken basic democratic principles time and time again. As working families, we need to sound the alarm about Scott Walker.
The Wisconsin AFL-CIO has reviewed Gov. Walker’s record on issues important to working families:
Attacks on Union Rights: Gov. Walker’s Act 10 stripped collective bargaining rights from public employees. Despite professing that anti-worker Right to Work legislation was not on his agenda while campaigning in 2014, just months into 2015 Gov. Walker signed controversial Right to Work legislation into law. Scott Walker’s 2015-2017 Budget rolls back prevailing wage standards for hardworking construction workers and removes the 24-hour rest period required in a 7-day work week, essentially killing the weekend for Wisconsin workers. In 2012, Gov. Walker even repealed a statewide law that helps women receive equal pay.
Where Are the Jobs? In Scott Walker’s 2010 campaign for Governor, Scott Walker promised repeatedly to create 250,000 jobs in his first term. He failed to deliver on that promise. Wisconsin consistently lags behind the rest of the nation in job-growth and has been dead-last in the Midwest for job creation. Currently, Wisconsin ranks 40th in the nation in job-growth.
Weakening of Wisconsin’s Middle Class: Gov. Walker’s bad policies and egregious attacks on union rights have led to a hollowing-out of Wisconsin’s middle class. In fact, according to a 2015 Pew Charitable Trust report Wisconsin ranks worst among the 50 states in terms of a shrinking middle class.
Gutting Public Education: Gov. Walker has enacted the largest cuts to education in Wisconsin history. During his tenure, Walker cut school funding more per student than any other governor in America. With cuts to public K-12 schools, technical colleges and higher education, Gov. Walker has dismantled public education, gutting neighborhood schools in favor of funding unaccountable voucher schools.
Attacks on Democracy: Gov. Walker has created roadblocks to democracy. In 2011, the Republican-controlled branches of government enacted hyper-partisan election districts in a shady power grab. The redistricting is so extreme a current lawsuit charges that the districts are unconstitutional. Gov. Walker signed Voter ID legislation, a known voter suppression tactic, into law. It is estimated that Walker’s voter suppression bill will disenfranchise 300,000 Latinos and African Americans in Wisconsin. In 2011, Gov. Walker even attempted to close DMVs, where citizens obtain an ID to vote. Despite claiming that he had no knowledge of a 2015 budget provision to gut Wisconsin’s Open Records Law, which helps citizens monitor their government, Walker’s office was later found to have been directly involved in creating the provision.
America needs a leader who will bring people together to fix our economy by investing in the middle class by expanding workers’ rights, raising wages and creating jobs. Scott Walker has enacted policy after policy to weaken workers’ rights and cripple our middle class.
Working people do not need to have the Kochs' puppet as a "leader."
Posted by: Sara Attleson | 07/13/2015 at 01:17 PM
This is the worst gov we've ever had in our state. He is trying to terminate everything WI stood for and has done so successfully. Now he is leaving it up to employers to make their workers work every day of the week without any days off. That was one of the sneaky things he put into the budget to get past. He is on the same level of Isis in my opinion. He might not behead people but he does much worse, he is taking everything away from them that they've worked so hard for.
Posted by: Deborah Axxelson | 07/13/2015 at 02:04 PM
Stop Scott Walker. He will destroy our coyntry like he has tried to destroy Wusconsin.
Posted by: Emily Skigen | 07/13/2015 at 02:35 PM
We need better leadership not someone trying to tear it apart.
Posted by: Claudette Sandoval | 07/13/2015 at 06:02 PM
Scott walker will destroy the middle class if he's elected
Posted by: Andrew. sapp | 07/13/2015 at 09:39 PM
Its obvious that the residents of just one state think he has caused great damage, we as voters must watch these Governors when they try to rrun for President. If one state hates his policy chances are most of the country will too! Get informed before voting, make a better decision based on what your morals, ethics, and pure common sense tells you. If it sounds like it to good to be true it probably is! Scott Walker needs to be recalled, fired and jailed for treasonous acts against his state.
Posted by: Claudette Youngs | 07/14/2015 at 12:15 AM
He will kill this country.
Posted by: Joyce | 07/14/2015 at 07:08 AM
Dishonest, vindictive, and corrupt as Wisconsin's governor. Imagine the mischief as Commander in Chief. Say no thanks to Scooter!
Posted by: Tesla's Cat | 07/14/2015 at 04:22 PM