The ALEC-sourced "Wage Theft" bill (aka "right to work") that's being rammed through in Wisconsin is worse than you think it is... and only the wonkiest of policy wonks know it.
The Center for Media and Democracy accurately identified the bill's ALEC roots --
Wisconsin Introduces Word-for-Word ALEC Right to Work Bill
But they missed what happens in the very first line of the bill -- an innocuous-looking little statement that reads:
Section 1. 111.01 of the statutes is repealed.
The Declaration of Policy they're repealing here is nothing less than the bedrock principles of "Employment Peace" in Wisconsin.
What does this must-repeal policy stipulate, anyway?
It recognizes that there are 3 major interests involved, namely: the public, the employee and the employer. These 3 interests are to a considerable extent interrelated. It is the policy of the state to protect and promote each of these interests with due regard to the situation and to the rights of the others.
[Emphasis in the above quote is mine]
Can you imagine, actually valuing equally the interests of the public, the employer, and the employee?! In ALEC-world, this is clearly an unacceptable situation.
But wait, there's more.
You see, Wisconsin's Employment Peace principles go on to state some of the mutually beneficial values for each of the three interests, and to proclaim the interdependence of all three [formatting & emphasis below is mine again]:
Industrial peace,
regular and adequate income for the employee,
and uninterrupted production of goods and services are promotive of all of these interests.
Let that sink in a little bit.
Wisconsin statute currently affirms the value of regular and adequate income for the employee, and asserts that this is good not only for employees, but for employers and the public as well.
The bill that the Wisconsin Senate approved last night, largely along party lines, REMOVES this assertion from our statutes altogether.
Regular and adequate income? Wisconsin don't NEED no stinkin' regular and adequate income!
The Democratic senators, fighting a brave uphill battle in the so-called Senate "deliberations" last night before the pre-ordained party-line vote, tried to call attention to this sneak attack on Employment Peace and the balancing of interests, proffering as their very first amendment attempt that the repeal of this section should be cancelled. Not a single GOP senator defended it, nor would admit to inserting the repeal provision in the first place. They didn't have to. The votes were in, bought and paid for. The amendment went down to defeat on a party line vote, much as the private sector unions went down to defeat in the final vote on the bill a couple of hours later.
One final note.
During the single day of shamefully-rushed public hearing, on a bill that had only been introduced days before, there were 1776 opinions/testimonies registered.
Only 25 of those were in favor of the bill. TWENTY-FIVE.
Against the bill? 1751, many of whom had been waiting all day to testify when the hearing was cut short on a trumped-up lie of an excuse.
1751 to 25, and the 25 win because they've bought the legislature.
And the governor who is presiding over this travesty and has promised to sign the bill, had the following to say before he was re-elected in 2014 (For Years, Walker Said He Wasn't Interested in Right to Work):
Unions said that if Walker and Republicans won in November, it would "absolutely" lead to right to work in Wisconsin. When Walker was asked to react to that statement in September of 2014, he said: "Absolutely wrong, couldn't be more inaccurate. That's the kind of scare factor and distortion that they tried to put out before."
This man is currently LEADING in the presidential opinion polls.
Be afraid, America.
Be terrified, in fact.