Scott Walker's 'budget repair bill' has incited a fierce backlash from labor unions. Union vote triggers liberal wrath

Progressive activists say they’re more energized than ever after the Wisconsin Senate’s vote to strip the collective bargaining rights of public-sector workers.

Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay Henry accused Gov. Scott Walker and other Wisconsin Republicans of denying the state’s residents a “voice” by pushing the bill through Wednesday night, by using a procedural move that separated the union component from the fiscal measures.


That eliminated the need for a quorum, which had been denied since 14 Senate Democrats fled the state almost three weeks ago to block a vote.

“Scott Walker and Wisconsin Republican senators may have rammed this anti-middle class legislation through, but over the past three weeks they ignited a movement in Wisconsin and nationwide that remains even more committed to creating a stronger, more fair and promising vision of America,” Henry said in POLITICO’s Arena.

Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) also said the Wisconsin showdown has invigorated the middle class.

“Gov. Walker’s actions are causing working people, the backbone of our economy, to stand up and defend their rights — the opposite of what he wanted,” she said.

“Walker didn’t learn his lesson,” added Michael Keegan, president of the People for the American Way. “But I have a feeling other elected leaders who have been watching what is happening in Wisconsin will.”

Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, whose group was among one of several that saw donations surge after the vote, predicted political backlash for Badger State GOP.

“This is a disaster for Republicans,” he said in the Arena. “Wisconsin has unleashed the progressive version of the tea party.”

A Tuesday Rasmussen Reports found that about 39 percent of likely voters in Wisconsin support weakening collective bargaining rights for public workers, while 57 percent are opposed.

Walker wrote a defense of his legislative fight in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, saying his “budget-repair” bill would save local governments nearly $1.5 billion in a time when the state is confronted by a $3.6 billion deficit.

The governor’s advocates also hailed the vote as a necessary measure to get Wisconsin’s fiscal house in order.

“It is a great day for children, students, parents, taxpayers and all who have suffered under union control of government in Wisconsin,” said Grover Norquist, president of the anti-tax group Americans for Tax Reform.

But others warned that any political triumph for Walker was fleeting.

“There will be another election,” said education historian Diane Ravitch. “And Scott Walker has become a symbol of hostility to working people and the middle class.”