Showdown in Wisconsin

Gov. Scott Walker's plan to strip most public employees of their collective bargaining rights has stirred up controversy in the Badger State.
  • Judge denies request to block Wis. anti-union law
    A judge has denied an emergency request to block a law that takes away nearly all collective bargaining rights from the vast majority of Wisconsin's public workers.March 11, 2011
  • Wisconsin's shrinking towns feed union-busting drive
    The loss of people and power in rural and small-town Wisconsin is helping fuel the state's showdown over public-sector union rights and benefits.March 11, 2011
  • Wis. public employees reconsider their careers after union rights defeat
    A law ending most collective bargaining rights for unionized public employees goes beyond concerns about cuts to wages and benefits -- some workers are looking for other jobs.March 11, 2011
  • Unions frame bargaining as civil rights issue
    Labor unions at the heart of a burning national disagreement over the cost of public employees want to frame the debate as a civil rights issue, an effort that may draw more sympathy to public workers being blamed for busting state budgets with generous pensions.March 11, 2011
  • Wis. gov. says support will grow for new law
    Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Friday signed into law the proposal that eliminates most union rights for public employees, quietly concluding a debate that provoked three weeks of loud, relentless protests at the Capitol.March 11, 2011
  • Wisconsin remains divided over union actions
    Wisconsin lawmakers have given final approval to a proposal by Gov. Scott Walker to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers. Walker said he will sign the legislation as soon as possible. Wisconsin residents are reacting taco the fast-paced political action in Madison. We visited several border communities Thursday to sample opinion.March 10, 2011
  • Wis. defeat could help launch counterattack on GOP
    With the labor movement heading to an epic defeat in Wisconsin and perhaps other states, union leaders plan to use the setback to fire up working people nationwide and mount a major counterattack against Republicans at the ballot box in 2012.March 10, 2011
  • Democrats assert law violation in Senate action
    Dane County officials have directed county attorneys to take legal action over the state Senate's passage of a bill taking away collective bargaining rights from public workers.March 10, 2011
  • Protesters flood Wis. Capitol over anti-union vote
    Thousands of protesters pushed past security, climbed through windows and flooded the Wisconsin Capitol on Wednesday night after Senate Republicans pushed through a plan to strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights.March 10, 2011
  • Wis. Gov. Walker praises union rights vote
    Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is praising Republicans in the state Senate who have voted to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers.March 9, 2011
  • Wis. Dems say AWOL lawmakers will return
    The leader of Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate says his caucus will return to the state on Thursday.March 9, 2011
  • House Republicans say federal workers are overpaid
    While conservative GOP governors are demanding concessions from state workers, House Republicans are making federal employees the next target -- saying government workers are overpaid compared to those in the private sector.March 9, 2011
  • Minn. GOP takes aim at teachers' bargaining power
    As state lawmakers struggle to right Minnesota's finances this year, they're increasingly heading back to school -- specifically, to the people that work there. A series of measures introduced in recent weeks aims to reset the state's longstanding relationship with its public school teachers, and curb teachers' labor and political power.March 8, 2011
  • Wis. governor's budget goes far beyond just unions
    Apart from his anti-union legislation, Republican Gov. Scott Walker is also seeking to dismantle an array of social policies enacted under his Democratic predecessor.March 8, 2011
  • Wis. Dems file ethics complaint against Walker
    The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has filed an ethics complaint against Gov. Scott Walker for statements made during a recorded prank phone call.March 7, 2011
Photo by AFP/Getty Images

MPR News
Radio

Listen Now

Schedule

Shortcuts
Hosts
Station Map

Other Radio Streams from MPR

Classical MPR
Radio Heartland

Services

Become a sponsor

In The Spotlight