Union Control At Stake In Wisconsin

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker faces a recall vote today. Some inside and outside of Wisconsin are afraid of how that will change people's right to unionize and that is a bad thing. First, let's look at the facts of what Governor Walker has done. He has balanced his budget, put into place reforms that will keep costs of public sector employees from being a long-term burden on the state, and passed laws that do not force people to join a union.

Union supporters are against this.  Students from Sheboygan Lutheran High School were at the capital and decided to chant in support of Governor Walker.  The unions did not care for this.  "At the Capitol, they encountered the Solidarity Singers, who have been repeating Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie songs of socialism every weekday for the past year.  Although it is a regularly scheduled event, they have done so defiantly without permit."  Because they spoke against the union, they received threats of physical violence.  Yes, the students voiced their opinion without a permit to assemble.  The action of the students was an impromptu activity and did not do any damage to the capital or surrounding area unlike the union supporters who camp there without a permit."

Indiana has a similar Right to Work laws as Wisconsin. "The union bosses (in Indiana) have filed a lawsuit claiming that right-to-work laws violate the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on slavery."  Read that again, they think it is slavery if people are not forced to join a union.  I agree that unions have a purpose, but no one should be forced to join one.  It is not a violation of the Constitution's prohibition on slavery to keep one from being forced to join a union, rather it is a violation of one's freedom to force them to join a union.  One could even argue that it is slavery to force someone to join a union as they would be subject to paying union dues and going along with whatever the union negotiated for their wages and benefits.  Right to Work laws are not unconstitutional, but forcing people to join a union is. unconstitutional.

Governor Walker has reclaimed Wisconsin, but the union people will have you believe that this recall is about reclaiming Wisconsin.  People have the right to recall their elected officials.  They also have the right not to be ruled by unions, forced to join unions, or forced to drive themselves into debt because of excessive benefits given to union employees in the public sector when compared to benefits given for similar work in the private sector.  If this so-called reclamation is going to be done by people that do not want to be fiscally sound, threaten high school students with physical harm for supporting something against their cause, and think it is slavery to keep people from being forced into a union, then go ahead and show your support for recalling Governor Scott Walker.