Former Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker He spoke after a Madison County judge struck down major parts of a 2011 law targeting public employee unions.
Dane County Judge Jacob Frost ruled that provisions of a law known as Act 10, which selectively exempts certain public workers from its restrictions on unionization and collective bargaining, are unconstitutional. The controversial law sought to close a budget deficit by limiting collective bargaining, thereby moderating public worker benefits that Walker said at the time helped resolve a fiscal situation he needed to address.
The original passage in 2011 sparked protests that lasted weeks inside the state Capitol, and even saw legislative Democrats flee to neighboring Illinois to prevent Republicans from reaching a quorum to vote on it. Walker later survived a 2012 recall election over the law’s passage and parlayed his success into a decent showing in the 2016 presidential race, where he ultimately dropped out of the primary that ultimately went to Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Walker, who currently heads the conservative nonprofit Young America’s Foundation (YAF), said his law simply took power “out of the hands of big union bosses and put it firmly in the hands of the hard-working taxpayers…”
“And what this court decision did as a blatant political action was throw that out and give power back to those union bosses,” he said in an interview, calling collective bargaining not a right but an “expensive right.”
POMPEO CLAIMS TEACHERS UNION HEAD IS AMONG THE ‘MOST DANGEROUS PEOPLE’ IN THE US
When asked about Frost’s claim that unequal treatment of the collective bargaining rights of certain “public safety” and other public workers was unconstitutional, Walker said it was a “false political argument.”
Frost removed more than 60 sections of the law from the books.
The law has been upheld several times at the state and federal level, Walker responded, adding that a new issue is a potentially growing “liberal activist majority” on the officially nonpartisan Wisconsin Supreme Court, which can hear any appeal of the ruling. .
Walker said that if appealed, the first place the case will land will be in the Waukesha court, which he predicted would overrule Frost. But a subsequent appeal by the left would land him before the state’s highest court.
“It’s one more reason why the Supreme Court race in Wisconsin this spring (2025) is more important than ever,” he said.
Walker went on to discuss the roots of Act 10 and how it was its way of meeting Wisconsin’s balanced budget requirement. He noted that the original name was the “Budget Repair Act” and that a previous Democratic administration chose to cut funding to municipalities, resulting in layoffs.
Rather than risk job loss or Medicare cuts, Walker opted to require public workers to contribute more to their entitlements in exchange for keeping their pensions solvent.
WALKER SAYS WISCONSIN REPUBLICANS ARE MOTIVATED
Demonstrators protest where Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was delivering his budget speech. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Additionally, Wisconsin Senate President Chris Kapenga echoed Walker’s claim that partisan politics influenced the ruling:
“[I]This is proof that there is very little justice left in our justice system. The Wisconsin legislature should discuss impeachment, since we are the only check on their power,” said Kapenga, R-Oconomowoc.
“Believing that the Dane County judges and the liberal majority on our state Supreme Court are independent jurists is almost as far-fetched as believing that the border is secure, that inflation is not a problem, or that [President Biden] “He will not forgive his son.”
“The left keeps telling us, ‘Don’t believe what you see,’ and Wisconsinites see that clearly,” he said.
As for Walker’s current role as YAF president, he said his organization is preparing for conservative leadership to return to Washington as it brought it to Madison in 2010.
Walker said he is excited about the prospect of seeing many YAF alumni in the new Trump administration, including Stephen Miller, a senior Trump adviser and former senator. Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama.
Sergio Gor, a former aide to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was named Trump’s presidential chief of staff last month. Walker praised Gor’s previous work leading YAF’s George Washington University chapter.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Members of Code Pink hold signs to protest Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“Four years ago, younger voters sided with Biden by 25 points,” Walker said. “In this election, that dropped to 5 or 6 points. And the most interesting thing is that four years ago young men leaned toward Biden by 15 points. In this election, they leaned toward Trump by 14. What we need to do is to set that on.”
