Scott Walker just got another smack downfrom the courts today regarding something he did as Milwaukee County Executive.
A judge has upheld a ruling ordering Milwaukee County to pay about 1,800 former union employees back pay for the more than four weeks of unpaid furloughs - time they didn't work - imposed as an emergency measure in 2010 by then-County Executive Scott Walker.
In addition to his known hatred of public employees and their unions, Scott Walker was running for Governor in 2010. He certainly didn't want budget deficits clouding his happy campaign of lies about how great he was for Milwaukee County, but deficits were looming so he decided to add more furlough days to those already scheduled for every single Milwaukee County employee - 26 furlough days for 2010. The problem is that he didn't talk to the unions or negotiate. He just ordered it. Unilaterally.
In early 2010, Walker issued an executive order requiring a large portion of the county workforce to take unpaid furloughs, saying the county budget otherwise could end the year in the red. Employees were required to take up to 26 furlough days. The union said the action violated its collective bargaining agreement.
The imposition of the furloughs violated the county's duty to bargain in good faith, according to Sosnay's ruling.
Later in the year, knowing there was another deficit about to be reported in Milwaukee County, Walker postponed a scheduled budget report for several months so the report wouldn't come out until after the election.
Unfortunately, Scott Walker won't have to deal with how to pay the $6 million dollars in back payments (lost pay plus interest). He's Governor now and left a pile of debt for Milwaukee County to deal with as he made his move to Madison. Debt so huge that health insurance for Milwaukee County employees and retirees is basically high deductible/high copay junk, wages suck worse than before, and many necessary public services have been scaled back to pay for the Walker debt.
I'm sure the GOP will spin this as an "activist judge" pandering to "big gubmint union bosses", but the real blame lies with Walker and his tyranical rule. More exposure of Walkers real record in office is always welcome. Paying for the blowback he created, not so much.