Thousands of state employees hit the streets of Wisconsin on Feb. 15 to protest Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed law that would reduce public employee benefits and reduce collective bargaining rights. Under Walker’s law, thousands of workers would be left without the proper negotiation tactics necessary in employer-employee relations. Walker’s proposition not only infringes upon union rights but also shows blatant disregard for the principle of compromise.
Walker’s motivation derives from the state’s poor fiscal state. According to CNN, he told reporters “[Wisconsin is] broke. You really can’t negotiate when you don’t have money to negotiate with.” While financial tactics should be improved on a state-by-state in order to help alleviate the national deficit, removing union rights isn’t exactly an equalizer.
While unions have their positive and negative aspects, they are often helpful in improving or even establishing good relationships between operatives and executives. In times when wages haven’t been guaranteed, union members have fought for their pay. In times when health care hasn’t been guaranteed, union members have fought for coverage. Ultimately, unions have normalized the employer-employee relationship and cemented the idea that employers are responsible to do as much as they can to provide for their workers.
Essentially, Walker is arguing that employers have done too much for their employees and thus seeks to eliminate certain aspects of private arrangements to create a cash influx. It’s true that some union members seek unattainable goals and can create financial strain, so perhaps it would be beneficial to examine these instances on a case-by-case basis. But for Walker to suggest that removing collective bargaining as a whole from state unions is surely going to have a negative impact on future public employees who may be living in a time of economic prosperity.
The question remains: what happens when Wisconsin is financially fruitful but doesn’t have essential union rights? President Barack Obama said it best: “It’s very important for us to understand that public employees, they’re our neighbors, they’re our friends.” As thousands of demonstrators continue to storm the state Capitol and similar idealism seeps into Ohio in response to a similar bill, Walker should consider revoking his legislation and work on other ways to cut corners that don’t interfere with indispensable coalitions.
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