Walker will propose eliminating unions for employees of the federal government and scrapping the federal agency that oversees unfair labor practices.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker on Monday will call for sweeping restrictions on organized labor in the U.S., seeking to replicate nationwide his successful effort as Wisconsin's governor to curb the power of unions.
At a town hall meeting in Las Vegas, Walker will propose eliminating unions for employees of the federal government, making all workplaces right-to-work unless individual states vote otherwise, scrapping the federal agency that oversees unfair labor practices and making it more difficult for unions to organize.
Many of Walker's proposals are focused on unions for workers at all levels of government, while others would also affect private-sector unions. Labor law experts said such an effort, if successful, would substantially reduce the power of organized labor in America.
While Walker could implement some of the proposals via presidential executive order, others would require an act of Congress or changes in federal regulations. The goal, Walker said, is "to achieve fairness and opportunity for American workers."
"This will not be easy," Walker said in a statement to The Associated Press. "Many — including the union bosses and the politicians they puppet — have long benefited from Washington rules that put the needs of special interests before needs of middle-class families."
Experts were taken aback by the scope of Walker's proposals, which seek to undo decades of labor law and would gut the landmark National Relations Labor Act — adopted in 1935 and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the height of the Great Depression.
"I've never seen anything like this," said Ann Hodges, a professor at the University of Richmond who has studied labor law for more than 40 years. "This will take the breath away from anyone who's worked in labor relations for any length of time. ... It's pretty draconian."
Walker's plan also calls for prohibiting automatic withdrawal of union dues to be used for political purposes and forbidding union organizers to access employees' personal information, such as their phone numbers.
Lee Adler, a labor law expert at Cornell University, said Walker's proposals would eliminate workers' rights and make it more difficult for people to join the middle class.
"Mr. Walker could only be making these type of proposals to satisfy his most backward-looking, wealthy contributors, just as he pursued, as governor, policies advanced by these people that sought to destroy school teachers and other public employees' rights in Wisconsin," he said.
More: GOP Presidential Candidate Scott Walker To Propose Vast Union Restrictions
Walker is not seeking fairness for anyone but his rich friends. Walker hopes that reviving his union-busting rhetoric will boost his dismal poll numbers. Unions traditionally support Democrats because Democrats support labor. I can't imagine why anyone would want to eliminate the National Labor Relations Board - except someone who hates labor unions and fair labor practices.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker on Monday will call for sweeping restrictions on organized labor in the U.S., seeking to replicate nationwide his successful effort as Wisconsin's governor to curb the power of unions.
At a town hall meeting in Las Vegas, Walker will propose eliminating unions for employees of the federal government, making all workplaces right-to-work unless individual states vote otherwise, scrapping the federal agency that oversees unfair labor practices and making it more difficult for unions to organize.
Many of Walker's proposals are focused on unions for workers at all levels of government, while others would also affect private-sector unions. Labor law experts said such an effort, if successful, would substantially reduce the power of organized labor in America.
While Walker could implement some of the proposals via presidential executive order, others would require an act of Congress or changes in federal regulations. The goal, Walker said, is "to achieve fairness and opportunity for American workers."
"This will not be easy," Walker said in a statement to The Associated Press. "Many — including the union bosses and the politicians they puppet — have long benefited from Washington rules that put the needs of special interests before needs of middle-class families."
Experts were taken aback by the scope of Walker's proposals, which seek to undo decades of labor law and would gut the landmark National Relations Labor Act — adopted in 1935 and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the height of the Great Depression.
"I've never seen anything like this," said Ann Hodges, a professor at the University of Richmond who has studied labor law for more than 40 years. "This will take the breath away from anyone who's worked in labor relations for any length of time. ... It's pretty draconian."
Walker's plan also calls for prohibiting automatic withdrawal of union dues to be used for political purposes and forbidding union organizers to access employees' personal information, such as their phone numbers.
Lee Adler, a labor law expert at Cornell University, said Walker's proposals would eliminate workers' rights and make it more difficult for people to join the middle class.
"Mr. Walker could only be making these type of proposals to satisfy his most backward-looking, wealthy contributors, just as he pursued, as governor, policies advanced by these people that sought to destroy school teachers and other public employees' rights in Wisconsin," he said.
More: GOP Presidential Candidate Scott Walker To Propose Vast Union Restrictions
Walker is not seeking fairness for anyone but his rich friends. Walker hopes that reviving his union-busting rhetoric will boost his dismal poll numbers. Unions traditionally support Democrats because Democrats support labor. I can't imagine why anyone would want to eliminate the National Labor Relations Board - except someone who hates labor unions and fair labor practices.
