The battle over collective bargaining continues. Dane County’s very own Judge Juan Colas declared aspects of Act 10, Gov. Scott Walker’s baby, unconstitutional last Friday in a case brought by the Madison Teachers Union and Public Employees Local 61. Colas based his ruling on the discriminatory nature of the law, which caps union workers’ wages but leaves their nonunion counterparts totally untouched, among other things.
Walker claims “the people of Wisconsin clearly spoke on June 5th. Now, they are ready to move on.” However, if the subject had been resolved and the people were ready to move on, there would be no more lawsuits. The people are not content, and as governor, Walker should better understand their needs.
Though he won the recall earlier this year, Walker continues to ignore the desires of a fairly large part of Wisconsin’s population. He is obviously out of touch with the state’s union members, some of whom have said they aren’t opposed to making some changes, they just want to have a say in them.
Similar issues appeared when the Walker administration proposed legislation regarding women’s rights, where panels composed entirely of males made decisions about female reproduction. Across the board, people want to have a part in creating and organizing legislation which affects them. It seems that Walker isn’t learning from his mistakes in this respect, and that’s a big problem since he holds so much weight in Wisconsin’s government.
Instead of accepting that the law may be flawed, Walker blames issues with Act 10 on political activism. In response to Colas’ ruling, he said, “Sadly, a liberal activist judge in Dane County wants to go backward.” And yet Colas did not sign the recall petition that endangered Walker’s position earlier this year. He was not an integral part of anti-Walker politics and does not appear to engage openly with either party.
Even if he was involved, Walker’s words ring deeper. The idea of frowning upon political activism in any form seems a bit counterintuitive, particularly in a democratic country that proudly supports freedom of speech. Though Republicans smugly repeated the “liberal activist” line, the sad attempt to discredit the judge came off more as an upsetting display of disrespect for opposing viewpoints.
As it is now, Judge Colas’ decision reverts collective bargaining law to the system that was in place in 2011. However, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has already stated he plans to appeal, and there is a possibility that Walker will keep the law in place in the interim.
If Walker plans to continue a career in politics, he must look beyond the political divide. The governor is not meant to be a figurehead for his party, but rather a venue through which voters can achieve a better government that suits their needs. In this case, what the people need is a fair decision that treats all workers the same, that takes into account the people’s perspective, and is based on the needs of Wisconsin families instead of the economy.
Kate is a sophomore double majoring in English and Spanish. Send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
