Marty Beil, the face of 2011’s fight against Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial “budget repair bill,” died in his home Thursday at the age of 68.
Born in Chicago, Beil moved to Wisconsin in the 1960s to attend Marquette University. He later worked as a probation and parole officer before being selected as president of his local union chapter in 1973. He became the executive director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union in 1985.
As a vocal proponent of organized labor for over 40 years, Beil was seen by many as a bulwark against diminishing workers’ rights and wages.
Beil emerged as a sharp critic of Walker’s proposal to end collective bargaining rights for public sector unions, organizing protests at the state Capitol which drew over 100,000 people and helped spur the 2012 recall election of the governor.
Known for his gumption, the bearded union boss held little back, asserting in 2010 that Walker and Republicans were “drunk with some kind of power or misconception of reality,” and “hell-bent on creating a climate of fear, intimidation and hostility.”
As he retired in June, Beil sent a final parting shot to Walker, criticizing his policies toward unions.
“It is unconscionable, and it is something I will hold against Scott Walker until the day I die, the pain he’s caused to state workers in such a careless fashion,” Beil told the Wisconsin State Journal. “In spite of Act 10, Scott Walker, Robin Vos, Scott Fitzgerald, the ‘tea party’ and every other nut job that is out there, I have a strong message. Workers will eventually prevail. Working families will once again set the agenda.”
Liberal leaders throughout the state were quick to mourn Beil’s passing.
“Anyone who has worked in Wisconsin, whether they were a union member or not, owes a debt of gratitude to Marty Beil,” Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said in a statement. “He not only gave us better wages and working conditions, but he was dedicated to creating a safe and happy workplace.”
