Incoming Democratic leaders pledged to move quickly to repeal Act 10, saying in a joint television interview that they expect to take up the issue within the first few months after assuming control of the Legislature in January.
“Act 10 has hurt working men and women across the state of Wisconsin,” Senate Majority Leader-designate Dianne Hesselbein said. “Governor Walker was honest when he said it to a reporter or to Diane Hendricks. He said it was to divide and conquer.
“That’s exactly what they did and we know that we need to stand up for working men and women in the state of Wisconsin and we are committed to doing just that. People have been waiting a really long time so we hope to move quickly in the first couple of months.”
Hesselbein and incoming Assembly Speaker Greta Neubauer made the comments during a joint interview with WMTV anchor Vanessa Kjeldsen as Democrats prepare to take full control of state government for the first time in 16 years. Gov.-elect David Crowley has also voiced support for reversing the law, which was a signature achievement of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker and has remained a flashpoint in Wisconsin politics for 15 years.
“We’re just having conversations with our members. A lot of them were around during the Act 10 protests and so reminding them what it did to the people in the state of Wisconsin,” Neubauer said. “And of course we know it will have a fiscal impact on local governments, on school districts, on our university system. So we’re in good conversation with all those partners and thinking about what we need to do to both restore the rights of working people and also ensure that they have the good benefits that they deserve and good working conditions.
“So it’s a comprehensive project but we do know that the start of that is that people have their rights and are able to have the conversations that they deserve to with their employers.”
Both leaders indicated the goal is to fully restore collective bargaining rights. Act 10 largely eliminated unions’ ability to negotiate wages, benefits and working conditions for most public workers outside of law enforcement and firefighters. Republicans have long defended it as a necessary tool for controlling local government costs.
Analysis from the MacIver Institute indicates that Act 10 has saved Wisconsin taxpayers more than $35 billion since it was enacted in 2011. The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty projects that repealing it will raise taxes by approximately $2 billion each year.
