Wisconsin: Unions, Education and the Budget

Over 70,000 people gathered in front of the capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday –  the largest crowd since the protests began –  to continue decrying Governor Scott Walker’s efforts to limit state laborers’ collective bargaining rights. Part of the outcry has been that the changes were included in the state’s budget bill.  It seems highly likely that public workers will have to concede some ground on how much they contribute to pension benefits and health insurance premiums. But what economic effect would those cuts and the collective bargaining changes actually have on the budget or the state economy? Joining The Takeaway are Shawn Johnson, State Capitol reporter from Wisconsin Public Radio with an update from Madison, and Robert Costrell, professor of education reform and economics at the University of Arkansas and other of a Wall Street Journal op-ed on collective bargaining,  who will analyze how Milwaukee’s education budget affects the state’s economy.