(The Center Square) – Wisconsin ranked 22nd in the American Legislative Exchange Council’s new labor policy rankings.
The state was graded with a total of three stars while Arizona and Utah led the way with 5.5 stars and both Alabama and Arkansas had five stars.
“Wisconsin made history with Act 10, a landmark reform that stood up to entrenched special interests and put power back in the hands of taxpayers,” said Alan Jernigan, manager of the ALEC Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force. “That moment inspired a national movement. But real reform is never a one-time event, it’s a continuous process.”
Signed into law in 2011 by then-Gov. Scott Walker, Act 10 limited most public sector union contract negotiations to salaries only and capped those salary increases to the rate of inflation.
The legislation was challenged and overturned in a ruling by Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jacob Frost in December.
The Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty estimated that Act 10 has saved taxpayers in Wisconsin more than $17 billion in the decade-plus that it’s been a law, and that ending Act 10 could cost local governments nearly $500 million going forward.
“Now is the time for Wisconsin to take the next step,” Jernigan said. “By extending labor freedom to all public workers and opening its licensing system to welcome skilled professionals from across the country, Wisconsin can once again lead by example. The Badger State showed America what courage looks like a decade ago. It can show us again what leadership looks like today.”
Wisconsin ranked tied for the top of the list for relying on the federal minimum wage instead of using a higher amount and ranked 33rd with an 8.3% average 10-year private sector employment growth.
The state ranked 21st due to having more than 20% public sector union membership and 26th for having a 5.61% private sector union membership percentage.
ALEC bills itself as “America’s largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism. Comprised of nearly one-quarter of the country’s state legislators and stakeholders from across the policy spectrum, ALEC members represent more than 60 million Americans and provide jobs to more than 30 million people in the United States.
