In this week's issue of THE WEEKLY STANDARD, Daniel DiSalvo writes that the big underlying concern of the union officials and Democrats about Scott Walker's budget repair bill is that it would bleed unions dry by making union dues optional and requiring annual secret-ballot union elections. That's true. While the biggest concern for typical teachers is that curtailing collective bargaining will lead to even bigger cuts to benefits in the future, union bosses know that the elections/dues measures pose a greater threat to their own power and pocketbooks.
When I asked Walker about these measures last Thursday, he said they could help public employees absorb the benefits cuts. "One element that’s very pro-worker is they’re not going to be forced to be a part of a union," Walker told me. "They’re not going to have their dues automatically taken out of their paychecks. So that’s more money back in their pocket that they can use to offset their health care or pension contributions."
I regret that I left this quotation on the cutting room floor when I wrote my own piece for the magazine because I'm now seeing Slate's Dave Weigel suggest that Walker has been justifying these measures as a means to balance the budget. It's true that Walker has been saying that limiting collective bargaining is necessary give municpalities and school districts the "tools" necessary to handle large cuts in state aid without firing employees. But Walker's been more than happy to defend the union dues/elections provisions largely on their own terms.