Sweet: Walker Rescinds Layoff Notices Following Budget Fix Passage

Guy Benson | March 11, 2011 11:04 AM

Wisconsin Republicans' heavy-handed, riot-igniting budget fix has been signed into law. Its very first union-busting repercussion? Saving 1,500 union jobs

Gov. Scott Walker on Friday directed two state agencies to rescind layoff notices because the Legislature passed the collective-bargaining bill.
Walker sent his directive to the state Department of Administration and the office of State Employment Relations.

Walker issued this statement: "The Legislature helped us save 1,500 middle-class jobs by moving forward this week with the budget repair. The state will now be able to realize $30 million in savings to balance the budget and allow 1,500 state employees to keep their jobs. The reforms contained in this legislation, which require modest health care and pension contributions from all public employees, will help put Wisconsin on a path to fiscal sustainability."

Recapping - A piece of legislation that has touched off such grievously inappropriate protests on the Left accomplishes the following dastardly ends:

- Places Wisconsin on a path to fiscal solvency, saving hundreds of millions of dollars.

- Does not increase the tax burden on Wisconsinites, preserving the Badger State's competitive advantage over its southern neighbor.

- Saves at least 1,500 middle class jobs.

- Maintains more expansive collective bargaining privileges for Wisconsin state workers than are available to federal employees and public workers in 24 other states.

Oh, the horror!

UPDATE - A clever point by my colleague Chris Field. There is a silver lining on all this for liberals: Thanks to Governor Walker's leadership, President Obama can now credibly claim that thousands of jobs were "created or saved" on his watch.