2011 Wisconsin protests
The 2011 Wisconsin protests were a series of demonstrations in the state of Wisconsin in the United States beginning in February involving as many as 100,000 protesters[3] opposing the 2011 Wisconsin Act 10, also called the "Wisconsin Budget Repair bill." The protests centered on the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, with satellite protests also occurring at other municipalities throughout the state.[8][9] Demonstrations took place at various college campuses, including the University of Wisconsin–Madison[10] and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.[11] After the collective bargaining bill was upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court on June 14,[12] the number of protesters declined to about 1,000 within a couple days.[13]
2011 Wisconsin protests
February 14, 2011 – June 16, 2011
Opposition to certain provisions in legislation (Budget Repair Bill) proposed by Governor Scott Walker to limit public employee collective bargaining and address a state budget shortfall.
Protests, sit-ins, demonstrations, recall elections, quorum-busting
Active protests ended by late June 2011; several pending lawsuits
none; Budget Repair Bill passed; 2 Republican State Senators recalled from office (8/9/2011); 2 Democratic State Senators win recall elections on 8/16/11; Failed recall attempt of Governor Scott Walker.
The protests were a major driving force for recall elections of state senators in 2011 and 2012, the failed recall of Governor Scott Walker in 2012 and a contentious Wisconsin Supreme Court election in 2011.
Background[edit]
Wisconsin was the first state in the United States to provide collective bargaining rights to public employees in 1959.[14] That year, the state's public-sector employee law was revised to not only allow municipal employees to unionize, but also to require municipal employers to bargain with certified unions.[15] Over the past decades public sector labor unions had grown from 10.8% of public workers being represented by a union in 1960 to 36.2% in 2010. Over the same time period, the percentage of private sector employees in a union shrank from 31.9% to 6.9%.[16] This increase in public-employee unionism coincided with the granting of collective bargaining rights to public employees. Total union membership for all employees, both public and private, had decreased substantially over the years, with total union membership in 2010 at 11.4%.[17]
When Jim Doyle (D-Wisconsin) was governor (2003–2010), the budget deficits that the state faced were filled three times by taking money from the transportation fund, in amounts totaling $1.257 billion.[18] Subsequently, 53 counties throughout the state passed referendums to prevent government officials from taking money from the transportation fund for use in other projects.[19]
Both Governor Walker and his opponent in the 2010 Governor's race, Tom Barrett, stated that they would not close the budget deficit by taking money from the transportation fund.[20] As a candidate for governor, Walker proposed that state employees pay more toward their pensions saying it would save the state about $180 million a year.[21] Walker was elected as Governor in November 2010.
Under collective-bargaining agreements, employers and unions had negotiated health insurance considerations from carrier to cost to benefits. Contributions for health insurance of active employees total 38.8% of wages.[22] For private-sector workers nationwide, as of 2011, the average is 10.7%.[23] Public-sector unions may also have cover health insurance for retirees, which can have significant cost. This is especially the case for teachers in many states, because the eligibility rules of their pension plans often induce them to retire in their 50s, and Medicare does not kick in until age 65.[22] According to David Cay Johnston, prior to Act 10, Wisconsin state employers paid 5% of employee wages into their pension as was negotiated under the principle of "deferred compensation."[24][25][26][27][28]
In January 2011, the state legislature passed a series of bills providing additional tax cuts and deductions for businesses at "a two-year cost of $67 million."[29] In early February, the Walker administration projected a budget shortfall in 2013 (Wisconsin functions on two-year budgets) of $3.6 billion[30] and a $137 million shortfall for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011.[31][32]
The Walker-backed bill proposed to alleviate the budget shortfall included taking away the ability of public sector unions to bargain collectively over pensions and health care and limiting pay raises of public employees to the rate of inflation, as well as ending automatic union dues collection by the state and requiring public unions to recertify annually.[33][34] The bargaining changes exempted the unions of public safety officers, including police, firefighters, and state troopers.[35] Walker stated that without the cuts thousands of state workers would have to be laid off.[36]
The protests and demonstrations began following Walker's introduction of Assembly Bill 11[37][38] to the Wisconsin State Assembly on February 14, 2011.
Public opinion[edit]
During the protest period[edit]
Polls during this period differed by the political bias of pollster. For example, one poll would indicate 64% of Americans felt public employees should not be represented by public unions,[210] when other would indicate that 61% of Americans would oppose a law similar to the Wisconsin bill in their state while 33% were for it.[211] A Rasmussen poll of Wisconsin voters conducted on March 2, 2011 reported that 39% support weakening collective bargaining rights while 52% oppose the idea. A majority said they supported the Democrats (52%) or the unions (56%) in the current dispute, while 41–44% supported Walker's position. Asked whether state workers should be given a 10% pay cut, 44% said yes, while 38% oppose a pay cut.[212] Polling analyst Nate Silver criticized methodology of the Rasmussen polls in his The New York Times blog, claiming that it had biased questions, giving a misleadingly negative impression of the protesters.[213]
In an analysis of several concurrent public opinion polls, pollster Scott Rasmussen identified the source of seeming contradictions in the results. The results depended on the way the questions are worded. If the collective bargaining issue was worded in the context of balancing the state budget, Governor Walker does better. If the question is worded more narrowly, mentioning only the collective bargaining dispute, the unions fare better.[214] A Pulse Opinion Research poll conducted of likely Wisconsin voters found that 56% support collective bargaining rights for public employees with 32% opposed. In the same poll, approval and disapproval for the bill was split at 50%–50% while 49% supported the protesters and 48% opposed them.[215]
A Public Policy Polling poll of Wisconsin voters found that given a chance to vote in a rematch between Walker and 2010 Democratic nominee Tom Barrett, Walker would have lost 45%–52%. (In the actual election, Walker won 52–46%.)[216] The poll's analysis characterized the shift as the result of changing opinions due to the budget protests. Public Policy Polling (PPP) is a Democratic Party-affiliated polling firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina.[217][218][219]
A SUSA poll in the districts of Republican senators Dan Kapanke and Randy Hopper found that double-digit margins in both districts would vote to recall the Senators.[220]
On March 15, PPP conducted a poll for Daily Kos in the districts of all eight Republican senators being recalled. The poll found that three trailed generic Democratic candidates, three had small leads, and two were safe:[221][222][223]
Related news[edit]
Indiana Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Cox was fired after suggesting that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker use live ammunition against pro-union protesters involved in the 2011 Wisconsin protests. Later, a Deputy Prosecutor in Johnson County, Indiana, Carlos Lam, suggested that Governor Walker should mount a "false flag" operation that would make it appear as if the union was committing violence. After initially claiming that his email account was hacked, Lam admitted to making the suggestion and resigned. Cullen Werwie, press secretary for Governor Walker, stated that Walker's office was unaware of Lam's email.
CBS News reported that Werwie commented, "Certainly we do not support the actions suggested in (the) email. Governor Walker has said time and again that the protesters have every right to have their voice heard, and for the most part the protests have been peaceful. We are hopeful that the tradition will continue."[388][389]
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a conservative research group in Michigan, issued a public records request to the labor studies departments at three public universities in the state, seeking any e-mails involving the Wisconsin labor protests. The request asked the three universities' labor studies faculty members for any e-mails mentioning "Scott Walker", "Madison", "Wisconsin" or "Rachel Maddow". Greg Scholtz, the director of academic freedom for the American Association of University Professors, said: "We think all this will have a chilling effect on academic freedom. We've never seen Freedom of Information Act requests used like this before."[390]