Thanks Act 10

Thanks for Act 10

Ten Years Out

 

Ten years ago, Wisconsin politics were transformed for the worse when the Republicans who then controlled both houses of the state legislature, urged by then Governor Scott Walker, introduced a bill that would eventually become the infamous Act 10.

 

The proposed legislation, which was not mentioned during the previous year’s election campaigns, sought to dismantle a foundation of Wisconsin’s progressive partnership with labor, the ability of public sector workers to collectively bargain. The GOP goal was to eliminate the power of the Wisconsin Education Association Council to negotiate the terms of public school teacher contracts with local school boards and WEAC’s political power in statewide elections. It was indeed “The Bomb” Scott Walker dropped on Wisconsin. 

 

Labor unions, both public and private, immediately saw where the new law would take the body politic and galvanized their members to protest the quick introduction and likely prompt passage of the bill. There were massive daily protests at the capitol in Madison and in communities throughout Wisconsin during February and into March of 2011.

 

We even had a protest march here in West Bend on February 27, 2011. About 200 gathered on the corner of Paradise and Main streets to show our outrage at what was about to take place. We were joined by union Teamsters, Electricians, Carpenters, Teachers, Firefighters, Municipal Employees, Nurses and other members of organized labor, their families and supporters. The protest pictures are stored on Facebook’s West Benders for Fairness.

 

As we marched on that cold February afternoon, passers by honked and waived in support. City police were on hand to direct traffic and many of them privately expressed their support for our action even though their union was exempted from the bill due to the support from the Milwaukee Police Association for Scott Walker’s bid for Governor. GOP legislators also feared that police would fail to protect the capitol from the expected backlash should their collective bargaining rights be extinguished. 

 

Our then state Senator, Glenn Grothman, got wind of our protest and came down to see for himself. He was surrounded by about 25 of the marchers in a parking lot across the street and got an earful from those whose rights were about to be eliminated. 

 

Passage of the bill was slowed when 14 Democratic state senators fled to Illinois in order to deprive the Senate of the quorum needed to hold the inevitable vote. Their brave actions gave us time to mobilize and build public opposition to the bill.

 

The GOP majorities ultimately rammed the bill through and then Governor Walker signed it. Opposition to what had been passed continued with recall petitions for Walker and eight of the state senators, including Grothman, who were part of the leadership responsible for passage of the bill. 

 

WEAC’s power and influence waned and bent but was not extinguished over the next decade. Teachers continued to organize and found new ways to exercise their influence over their working conditions in their classrooms. They found ways to mobilize public opinion about public education and helped elect solid candidates to lead the state Department of Public Instruction. One of those leaders, Tony Evers, ultimately became Wisconsin’s Governor.

 

The lessons learned by organized labor and those who supported it during the Act 10 protests helped galvanize a new breed of progressive political leaders and energized efforts to combat the regressive politics of the new alt-right. 

 

Women started running for political office in greater numbers. Teachers became radicalized and started continuing dialogs with their students on what democracy means for their future. New coalitions between labor, environmentalists, educators, and other people centered movements were created to advance progressive ideas like raising the minimum wage, legalizing recreational and medical marijuana, protecting Social Security, passing universal health care, fully funding public education, ending systemic racism and income inequality. That work continues even through the Coronavirus pandemic.

 

Governor Evers, hamstrung by GOP majorities protected by gerrymandered legislative districts, is advancing a progressive budget that includes many of these very popular initiatives. He is daring the legislature to turn him down and to incur the wrath of their more moderate constituents who support them and already angered by GOP leadership support of the insurrectionist former president. 

 

Act 10, for all it’s evil shortcomings, has been a gift that keeps on giving. It created a whole new generation of political activists who will continue to transform Wisconsin politics and help return it to its progressive roots.