MADISON, Wis. (WSAU) — The central Wisconsin Senator that broke party ranks and voted against the Right to Work bill Wednesday night has explained his actions.
29th District Senator Jerry Petrowski from Marathon voted against Right to Work, and issued a statement afterwards explaining his vote. The Marathon Republican said he was keeping a campaign promise not to support Right to Work legislation from the past two elections. Petrowski also says he is, “not convinced that the supposed benefits of passing this bill will materialize and offset a potentially disruptive impact on our economy.”
The conservative Petrowski was also a union machinist for Marathon Electric before entering the political arena. Comparing himself to former President Ronald Reagan, he said, “Like Reagan, I was a union member for many years.” Petrowski also has unanswered questions about how workers would potentially transfer union-managed retirement benefits to a non-union plan, and if there are any potential federal transportation penalties by becoming a Right to Work state.
The Senator did not speak on the Senate floor against Right to Work, and has so far, declined on-camera and microphone interviews this week.
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Statement from Senator Jerry Petrowski on “Right to Work”: I have consistently stated in debates, public forums and interviews over the past two election cycles that I would not be supportive of making Wisconsin a Right to Work state, and I am keeping my word. Both sides in the debate have provided economic analysis to support their arguments, but none are definitive as to what actually causes the differences among the economies of different states. I am not convinced that the supposed benefits of passing this bill will materialize and offset a potentially disruptive impact on our economy. I’m a Ronald Reagan Republican, and like President Reagan I was a union member for many years. Under the law as it stands, unions are formed by a majority vote and everyone gets to choose where they work. “Collective bargaining in the years since has played a major role in America’s economicmiracle. Unions represent some of the freest institutions in this land. There are few finerexamples of participatory democracy to be found anywhere. Too often, discussion about thelabor movement concentrates on disputes, corruption, and strikes. But while these things areheadlines, there are thousands of good agreements reached and put into practice every yearwithout a hitch.”~ Ronald Reagan, 1981
