GOP Governor Takes Heat on Right-to-Work Bill

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is supporting Republican legislators' move to fast track a bill that will make Wisconsin the 24th right-to-work state.

Initially, the governor said a decision on the issue should be delayed to avoid more pro-union protests and to give the government time to focus on other issues.

But after it was announced the bill would be voted on this week, a spokeswoman for the governor said he plans on signing it.

Currently 24 states have right-to-work laws, which block private sector companies from making labor agreements that force workers to pay fees to the unions as a condition of employment.

Proponents of right-to-work states say that employees should have the right to freedom of association and not be forced into joining unions and paying union fees.

They argue that employees should not be forced to financially support an organization they do not want to be a part of. Many refer to non-right-to-work states as "forced unionism" states.

Pro-union workers argue that workers should pay fees if they benefit from protection granted to them as a result of contracts negotiated by unions, even if they don't belong to the union. They also claim the bill will lower pay for workers.  

State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican sponsor of the bill, testified in front of the labor committee that, "We need to make Wisconsin more competitive and this certainly does that."

The bill was approved by the Senate's labor committee in a 3-1 vote on Tuesday. The three Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill had to be escorted out of the building due to the number of angry pro-union protesters surrounding the building.

It will now be reviewed by the full Wisconsin Senate as early as Wednesday afternoon. A spokeswoman for the governor said he plans on signing the bill when it reaches his office.

The media has attacked Gov. Walker for his decision to sign the bill, saying he has "flip flopped" on his stance on the issue. Walker, however, argues he has continually stayed strong in his support on a right-to-work state, but has changed his view on when to pass the legislation for it.

"I didn't denounce any of my support in the past. You all asked me 100 different questions to see if I would, and I didn't," he told reporters..

Gov. Walker originally said he would wait to pass legislation on the issue in order to focus on balancing the state's budget.

"I didn't want to take away from the efforts of our budget," Walker said. "But our budget has been presented."

Since there will be a lull in the current session while the Legislative Fiscal Bureau and Joint Finance Committee analyze the proposed budget, Gov. Walker said he views this as a great time to discuss the right-to-work issue.