Why Scott Walker's Victory Doesn't Spell the Doom of Big Labor Yet
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) pulled off a stunner of a solid victory on Tuesday. And it's easy to see why this is
being billed as a major blow to Big Labor.
Unions had put a bull's eye on Walker ever since he signed the union-deflating Public Act 10 into law in 2011, using every tactic in their book to intimidate and harass him. Walker's law went well beyond eliminating compulsory payment of union dues as a condition of employment in union shops, as right-to-work laws (including one signed by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder) do. And Big Labor wanted to send a message to other governors to not try Walker-style reforms at home.
That it didn't succeed shows that Big Labor's bark is worse than its bite. But the fact of the matter is that with the economy improving and state revenues beginning to flow again, even Republican governors who hate the guts of labor unions will have a hard time going after them. Even Walker himself has pledged to not push right-to-work in the Dairy State, I note in my column at The Week.
So Big Labor is safe till the next downturn. After that, it's another matter
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