More than They Bargained For: Scott Walker, Unions, and the Fight for Wisconsin

by Jason Stein, Patrick Marley

When Wisconsin became the first state in the nation in 1959 to let public employees bargain with their employers, the legislation catalyzed changes to labor laws across the country. In March 2011, when newly elected governor Scott Walker repealed most of that labor law and subsequent ones—and then became the first governor in the nation to survive a recall election fifteen months later—it sent a different message. Both times, Wisconsin took the lead, first empowering public unions and then weakening them. This book recounts the battle between the Republican governor and the unions.            The struggle drew the attention of the country and the notice of the world, launching Walker as a national star for the Republican Party and simultaneously energizing and damaging the American labor movement. Madison was the site of one unprecedented spectacle after 1:00 a.m. parliamentary maneuvers, a camel slipping on icy Madison streets as union firefighters rushed to assist, massive nonviolent street protests, and a weeks-long occupation that blocked the marble halls of the Capitol and made its rotunda ring.            Jason Stein and Patrick Marley, award-winning journalists for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, covered the fight firsthand. They center their account on the frantic efforts of state officials meeting openly and in the Capitol's elegant backrooms as protesters demonstrated outside. Conducting new in-depth interviews with elected officials, labor leaders, police officers, protestors, and other key figures, and drawing on new documents and their own years of experience as statehouse reporters, Stein and Marley have written a gripping account of the wildest sixteen months in Wisconsin politics since the era of Joe McCarthy. They offer new insights on the origins of Walker's wide-ranging budget-repair bill, which included the provision to end public-sector collective bargaining; the Senate Democrats' decision to leave the state to try to block the bill; Democrats' talks with both union leaders and Republicans while in Illinois; and the reasons why compromise has become, as one Republican dissenter put it, a "dirty word" in politics today.“Stein and Marley, veteran reporters with enviable access, have penned the definitive journalistic account of the Wisconsin uprising, especially as it played out in the state Legislature. They make it a story about individuals, not titanic forces.”—Wisconsin Watch“Stein and Marley deliver an impressively objective account of the struggle, ably describing the objectives and tactics of each side in a confident and engaging style.”—Kirkus Reviews“Stein and Marley deliver a swashbuckling tale of Wisconsin's Republican Governor Scott Walker's election and tumultuous first year in office. . . . Instead of an expected dry read, the authors' lively, economical prose, supplemented by snippets of social media reporting in real time, place readers in the crowded Capitol building stairwells, or in the midst of Wisconsin's largest sustained demonstration since Vietnam protests rocked the University of Wisconsin campus.”—Publishers Weekly“This book is a political thriller, an activists’ handbook (for the Left on how to organize mass protests, and for the Right on how to effectively fight public employee unions), and a work of investigative journalism all rolled into one. Social scientists, political junkies, and anyone interested in public affairs will devour it.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, Labor, Local History, Journalism

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Walker could be likened to a sharpened pencil. He does what he is told to do, but appears wooden. This is clear even from the words he uses in his own memoir of his time in the governor’s office, when he faced a recall vote a year and a half after taking office. This man, after fighting the most bitter and divisive fight in his state’s history against collective bargaining rights for public unions, wants to take his show national. The mind reels.

Having previously been a Milwaukee County Executive before running for Governor in 2010, Walker was undoubtedly aware of problems Milwaukee faced. His plan to cut benefits (retirement & health care contributions) to public employees would initially cause a financial transfer to wealthier counties who saved more in cuts to employee compensation than they lost in state aid. “… the city of Waukesha, Milwaukee Public Schools, and Milwaukee County—Walker’s old charge—lost more than they saved, at least in the short term.”

“In the long term, there was a clear advantage for the budgets of Milwaukee Country and the Milwaukee Public Schools, which faced problems funding retiree health care and pensions far in excess of the typical local government in Wisconsin…An actuary found that the district lowered its projected obligation to retirees by a whopping $1 billion, or 42 percent, between 2009 and 2011.”

However, Walker did not keep another of his campaign pledges to the working poor. Walker cut the earned income tax credit by $40 million over two years and froze the homestead tax credit, which helps low-income homeowners and renters. Additionally, he cut aid to local governments by $1.25 billion because he refused to raise taxes while trying to balance the budget. But “…we are providing almost $1.5 billion in savings through our budget repair bill,” Walker explained. It's difficult to decide but Walker sounds like he is too thick to get it. Saving money that people need to live may not be productive.

Anyway, this book is quite nuanced in its examination of just how the protests played out, how less than two hours’ notice was given after 4 p.m. to convene state Republican legislators to force a vote upon quorum requirements, which allowed them to bypass Democrat approval, and to finally pass a bill limiting collective bargaining for public employees. Because the legislature refused entry to some citizens wishing to view proceedings when the bills were presented, the new law faced legal challenges and the bitter enmity of Democrats. It was a very ugly business.

I don’t think this is what our founding fathers had in mind, though maybe it is. We’ve read of vicious battles fought in the name of governing that have come before. Procedures here were challenged, declared null, challenged again…just like happened when voting districts were drawn in the middle of the night by WI Republicans alone to favor their own party & limit debate, using maps made up by the national GOP. This gerrymandering was declared unfair by the state supreme court, challenged again by Republican lawmakers and sent to the U.S. Supreme Court, only to be pushed aside in this summer’s session, undecided.

What is amply clear is that events in Wisconsin presage the division we now see splitting states around the union. Clearly there are differences of opinion about who “deserves” more, which is something we really do need to reach agreement on. Considering Republicans have only money and not even smart spokespeople or good ideas (if their ideas are so good, why is it so hard to convince people of their efficacy?), we who do not agree with the way they cut the cake are going to have to show that money is not the most valuable thing we can own.

The truth is, I would go along with some ‘conservative’ ideas if wages were higher and more equitably distributed. We can’t force companies to change their wage scales, but we can make it impracticable to give enormous bonuses to a few while forcing virtual enslavement (and state assistance) upon the rest. Tax them. If we take taxes off the table, the ‘Republican’ budget packages go bust because after all, they are protecting corporations, not people. Now, our economy is based on corporations, so everyone wants them to succeed. We just have to be honest about who we’re looking to serve. All of us, or just a few? Are we a nation or a rug for billionaires?

The hateful disregard among dissenting points of view that we experience now is very difficult for me to take. This book shows us how bad things can get, and what we have to face if we can’t control people’s anger. We should all be trying to lower the level of acrimony, learning as much as we can so as to find some answers that work for all of us. This book allows us to make decisions on what can happen without having to go through it ourselves. It is very useful.

[RandomAnthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a stretch during the protests and media coverage of the Act 10 controversy when I wanted everyone outside the state borders to shut the living hell fuck up about Wisconsin. Family business. Even within the state the facebook wars were endless and mean-spirited. You couldn't avoid the bile. Once, when approached outside the local library by a petition-holder, I smiled and said I was in a hurry because I had to pick up my sons from school, and I swear, I thought the lady was ready to clock me with her clipboard. Describing passions as high might not cover the local not-so-civil war. In turn, if you want a somewhat objective history of the months in which, out of nowhere, the politics of this fine state drowned out even a Packers super bowl victory, Stein and Marley's book is a solid option.

More Than They Bargained For is difficult to read without scanning the text for evidence of bias. Stein and Marley's book runs, in my eyes, 75-25 pro unions/democrats. They'll acknowledge mistakes on the left but seem to dwell a bit more on the right's mistakes. That's fine. The book could have been way more tendentious. The authors' bias lands primarily in the focus on the city of Madison as opposed to the state. They love the shit, you can tell, out of the state capitol. Maybe the larger state perspective was too broad for inclusion here and there's no denying most of the action took place within Madison's city limits. The fallout from these months isn't over and the authors face the task of what could perhaps best be described as intense scrutiny of their position. They probably understood, from the get-go, they weren't going to make everyone happy by staying comparatively neutral. What They Bargained For is the best chronicle, in my limited experience, of the controversy's dark days. I learned much about the details and feel better informed on the often-confusing (to me) legislative processes that spun quickly through each day's newspaper. I'm surprised the book hasn't garnered more attention; goodreads, for example, lists few reviews. I imagine locals are fatigued with the controversy and outsiders moved on to other issues. I hope more readers check out What They Bargained For over time. It's earned a place as a relevant document in Wisconsin history.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I loved about this book is it's ability to be told from all sides, and not the way journalism reports on things a majority of the times these days. I was a resident of Wisconsin when this happened, and was very involved in what was going on, but this book gave me information than I didn't know at that time. I highly recommend this book.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure- I read this book so I could do a research paper on collective bargaining for grad school. That being said, this book was a great resource. It was entertaining and informative.

Since I was out of the country when the protests occurred in Wisconsin; it was great to read, in detail, how everything went down- from Walker taking office to the aftermath of the passing of Act 10.

[Jason Stein]

Hi all, thanks for reading our book or marking it down as one to read! If you enjoyed it, please consider sharing it with friends and coworkers, liking the book on Facebook or adding a review or rating to sites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Thank you!

[ribbonknight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book details the protests surrounding Governor Walker's 2011 Budget Repair Bill/Act 10.
Unlike Susan Riseling's book which focused on policing the protests, this one was written by two political reporters who work for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, & they give much-needed political background.

The reporters are factual in pointing out which portions are theater (almost all floor debates are always scripted; Senator Ellis made sure Cullen was out of the building before calling the roll when the Democratic senators left for Illinois, etc.).
They don't shy away from the fact that legislators needed police escorts due to threats of violence/death, or that they got spat on.

They're also pretty clear about Walker's open dismissal for protesters, his inexplicable refusal to take out the collective bargaining item even when urged to by other members of his own party.

Having lived these protests on Twitter, I remember pretty much everything clearly & it's hard for me to focus solely on the book.
It's clear that the reporters know Wisconsin politics really well, & I really enjoyed reading this book.
My only criticism is that many chapters/portions end with, "Little did they know what would happen later on...!!!" but that's not a huge issue.

The book perfectly captures and explains this moment in history.
If you're going to read a book about the protests, read this one.

[anotherseriouslady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and compelling first-hand account of the political circumstances leading to massive public demonstrations at Wisconsin's Capitol building in early spring 2011. Authors Jason Stein and Patrick Marley offer a thorough play-by-play of the events taking place in Madison, and astute commentary to situate this party-political showdown within the historic battle between capital and labor. Very well-researched and well-documented, and immensely engaging.

[Andrea Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

About half to 2/3 of the book was reasonably interesting. The rest was kinda boring if you're familiar with the events. But I'll bump it up to 4 stars because there is at least some effort at objectivity.

It's also not as objective as how it was reviewed, but the authors do obviously make some effort to be fair. Most of the people who are enlarged upon at all are Democrats. The only time they seem to flesh out Republicans at all is if they were critical of Act 10 or so central to events that it couldn't really be avoided.

But the events often slip into being almost narrated through the Democrats/Unions point of view which presents the Republicans as sort of the antagonist. And the commentary sometimes slips in shots at the Republicans (or quotes the Democrats saying negative things - without defending the Republicans or quoting anyone who did)

But they do acknowledge a lot of positives about the Republicans too. Walker is presented, for the most part, as very capable.

And you get the impression that though they think the Republicans were wrong - they were at least sincere.

Overall, it was worth a read

[Joey Muehlethaler · Rating 2 out of 5]

For those of you who read this book and wrote/thought it was not biased....huh? Quite a few jabs at Walker and what about the side story about a liberal attorney and her daily doings during the whole act 10 ordeal. Where's the side story of a conservative and their fight for what they believe in!? Although it was very detailed it was a typical reporter writing his one sided view...

[Laura Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book to be fairly objective, which was nice. I had my opinions before, of course, and they haven't changed, but I appreciated reading both sides. The book was well-written and enjoyable to read.