by Benjamin Yount
Act 10 is now 11 years old.
Friday marked the latest anniversary of the day then-Gov. Scott Walker signed the law that changed the balance between public sector unions and state and local governments across the state.
Walker, on Friday, took to Twitter to remember the day.
“The radical left tried to intimidate us. But we did not back down,” the former governor said while sharing pictures of the crowds that flooded the Wisconsin Capitol for months to try and kill Act 10. The MacIver Institute on Friday shared an updated cost-savings estimate from Act 10.
“We estimate Act 10 has saved Wisconsin taxpayers at least $15.3 billion statewide at the state and local level since 2011,” MacIver wrote. “We calculated the savings achieved from the pension and health insurance changes using the state Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and local sources. That includes $10.1 billion just from public employees making contributions to their own pensions. The MacIver Institute included contribution amounts from employees in state agencies, the UW system, public authorities, municipalities, towns, counties, school districts, tech colleges and CESAs.”
Many public sector workers in Wisconsin didn’t pay anything for their retirement benefits, which forced the cost entirely on to taxpayers.
“Liberals were outraged. I’m proud of Act 10, and am fighting to get Wisconsin back on track,” then-Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch said on Twitter Friday.
Tweets from Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, showed just how deep the division over Act 10 remains.
“Imagine being a Wisconsin GOP politician bragging about stealing $15.3 billion from the pockets of public employees in the 11 years since Act 10,” Larson tweeted.
Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin say Act 10 was the first step to put the state on a path to a much more secure financial future. They point to Wisconsin’s record-$4 billion budget surplus as proof of that.
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Benjamin Yount is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Scott Walker” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
