What’s happened in Ohio may be a factor in the pending recall effort against Governor Walker. Voters in the Buckeye State Tuesday struck down a collective bargaining law similar to the one signed by Walker in Wisconsin. Sixty-one percent of the voters favored the repeal of a law that Republican Governor John Kasich signed in March.
Madison Assembly Democrat Mark Pocan called the Ohio referendum a sign that Walker and his fellow state Republicans are “out of touch with the will of the people.”
Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire-fighters, said the Ohio vote was “an absolute momentum-shifting victory for the labor movement.”
Similar talk is expected in the future as Walker opponents ramp up their recall effort. But a Bowling Green University Political Scientist says that will likely be just one of the issues raised against Walker.
“I think there are already indicators the recall campaign will be broader, a whole host of issues,” Associate Professor Melissa Miller said Tuesday – citing the summer Senate recall campaigns as an example.
Governor Walker claims the two states are “completely different.” Prior to the polls closing, Walker said the Ohio law has not taken effect whereas Wisconsin’s labor changes has brought “many months” of positive results in local savings.