Parisi: Special Session to Pay Workers Less Latest Evidence Wisconsin Republican "Scorched Earth" Agenda Devastating State Heritage

February 20, 2015
Joshua Wescott, Chief of Staff, 608-266-9069
County Executive

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi issued the following statement today regarding news the Wisconsin State Senate will hold a special session next week on so-called “Right to Work” legislation.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average wage for all occupations in right-to-work states is nearly $4 an hour lower.

“As the son of a construction worker who put food on the table and a roof over our heads through hard work and fair pay, I’m appalled by the lack of respect for hard-working families and Wisconsin culture being demonstrated by the totality of the agenda coming out of the State Capitol.

“I fear the state we know and love is in the process of experiencing devastating and potentially irreversible change at the hands of Governor Walker and Legislative Republicans.

“From devastating cuts to the University of Wisconsin system and our public schools, to the Governor’s proposal to bring an end to the Stewardship Fund and to eliminate funding for state parks, Wisconsin’s heritage is at risk.

“When one thinks of Wisconsin, one thinks of a world class University, top notch schools, great opportunities for outdoor recreation and tourism, and access to good paying jobs.

“But now, in a final blow to middle-class families, come proposals to end the prevailing wage in Wisconsin and enact so-called “Right-to-work” legislation that would cause wages of construction workers in our state to plummet.

“Once you take apart the UW, our public schools, our outdoor heritage and middle class jobs like those in the construction trades, one has to ask: what’s left of the Wisconsin we once knew?”

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