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 Republicans control both sides of the Wisconsin Legislature and
the governor's mansion, leaving a clear path for right-to-work
legislation that is already law in 24 states, including Michigan and
Indiana, where laws were approved in 2012.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald on Thursday said in a
statement that the legislature "simply cannot avoid engaging in an
open debate" about right-to-work legislation and wanted to determine
the most appropriate version for Wisconsin.
Fitzgerald said the legislature owed it to residents to have a
public policy discussion on the issue.
Supporters of right-to-work legislation say it promotes the
individual liberty of workers by giving them the choice of whether
or not to join a union, and perhaps more importantly, whether to pay
membership dues.
 Opponents say the legislation weakens union solidarity and will lead
to lower wages for all workers.
"It's a power grab," Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin
AFL-CIO, said on Friday in a telephone interview.
Neuenfeldt said that a right-to-work law would allow employers to
divide workers against each other and make it easier to get
agreements passed that have lower wages over time.
Republicans took a majority in the Wisconsin legislature in the 2010
elections, when Republican Governor Scott Walker won his first term
and approved laws in 2011 restricting collective bargaining for most
public sector unions except police and fire amid protests from
Democrats and unions in Madison.
Walker has made public statements since then that right-to-work is
not a priority.
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But foundation has been laid to push the legislation when the next
Wisconsin legislative session begins in early January.
Wisconsin Right to Work, a nonprofit, was launched on Monday to
promote right-to-work efforts and on Friday launched a radio ad
campaign, it said on its Facebook site.
Lorri Pickens, the group's executive director, is a former director
of state operations for Americans for Prosperity, the political
advocacy group backed by billionaire industrialists Charles and
David Koch.
(Reporting by Mark Guarino in Chicago; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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