Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker took to TV on Tuesday night in a quasi-“fireside chat” that included the not-so-cozy warning that if the highly contested bill he’s pushing doesn’t make it through the legislative process with certain clauses intact, layoffs could loom for some state workers. –KA

The Guardian:

The governor and the unions are in a standoff over Republican moves to end collective bargaining and other measures aimed at neutering public sector trade unions, and Wisconsin has become the test-bed.

Walker, in a statement to the Associated Press, said that if the proposed bill aimed at curbing union rights was not passed, state employees could start receiving redundancy notices as early as next week. “Hopefully we don’t get to that point,” said the governor.

While Walker said the job losses would not take effect immediately, he has warned in the past that up to 1,500 of the state’s 300,000 employees could lose their jobs if the bill is not passed.

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