After winning the Governor’s seat in Wisconsin in 2010, Republican Scott Walker, with the support of the Republican Wisconsin legislature, comprehensively ripped up union contracts and cut pay for workers in Wisconsin.  Despite massive street protests in February 2011, an occupied capitol building in Madison and Democratic legislators fleeing the state to Illinois, Walker pushed through his cut worker rights agenda.

Illinois’ Republican Governor candidate, Bruce Rauner, points to Walker as his role model.  Will Rauner do to Illinois workers what Walker did in Wisconsin?

Rauner, a billionaire investment specialist, who owns nine homes and earned $53 million in 2013, said that  “We need to move in that direction” on passing a “right-to-work” law (Springfield Journal-Register, Dec, 22, 2012).  “Right-to-work” laws outlaw the union shop.  

Throughout this spring’s Republican primary, he continually attacked unions, though he has softened his message since then.  “I am ready to fight unions,” he said on August  14, 2013 (Huffington Post).  Ironically, he has called for abolishing public employee pensions, despite having successfully worked as a pension fund investor.

Exactly what did Scott Walker do to workers in Wisconsin?

Walker’s “Act 10” in Wisconsin severely limited the contract bargaining rights of public employees -- prison guards, teachers, social workers and others.  Unions can only bargain over pay, not working conditions, grievances or other workplace challenges.

In his memoir, Walker recounts how he secretly crafted a plan “that gets rid of the unions and eliminates collective bargaining.”

Since the bill took effect, take home pay for public employees in Wisconsin has fallen an average of 10 percent.

The New York Times reported (February 22, 2014) that “Many labor leaders and union members are still fuming about the law. It bars public-sector unions from bargaining over pensions, health coverage, safety, hours, sick leave or vacations. All they can negotiate is base pay, and even that is limited: any raises they win cannot exceed inflation.”

Each year, Wisconsin workers must vote to retain their union.  A simple majority of voters is not required, instead, a majority of all workers eligible to vote must vote for the union.

Public employees can no longer designate their dues be deducted from their paychecks, instead they must make their own arrangements to pay.  

With the pay cuts, many public employees are taking second jobs to meet their household needs.

Wisconsin manufacturers are following Walker’s lead.  In 2012 at Maintowoc Crane, the company wanted to eliminate the union shop, but workers refused.  At smaller Ashland Industries, the company forced a strike over the union shop issue, brought in replacement workers and forced the Machinists union to give in.

John Penn, Midwest Region Laborers International Union (LiUNA) Vice-President, warns that the Scott Walker -Bruce Rauner model is also bad for other workers.

“Even if Democrats retain control of the Illinois House and Senate, Rauner can wreak havoc with construction and other workers,” said Penn.  “The Illinois prevailing wage law is a great example.  Under Governor Quinn, we’ve had strong enforcement of prevailing and minimum wages.  Rauner doesn’t have to abolish the law, he just cuts the office or appoints do-nothing administrators, and suddenly the law is no longer enforced.  We’ve seen this under some previous Republican administrations and remember the consequences of weak labor law enforcement.  The same would hold true with minimum wage and safety regulations.”

Rauner is pledging that cutting union rights and cutting taxes will increase employment -- a similar pledge that Scott Walker made to Wisconsin voters when elected in 2010.

Walker promised 250,000 new jobs to Wisconsin. Instead, federal statistics show only 53,809 jobs added under Walke