♪.
LARRY: ALL RIGHT, JOINING US NOW
AN OLD FRIEND.
SCOTT WALKER FORMER WISCONSIN
GOVERNOR, PRESIDENT OF YOUNG
AMERICANS FOUNDATION.
SCOTT WALKER, IT IS GOOD TO SEE
YOU.
THANKS FOR COMING ON.
>> THANK YOU, GOOD TO BE WITH
YOU, LARRY.
LARRY: SO, SCOTT, LOOK IT, I’M
GOING TO GIVE THE RAILROAD UNION
A PASS BECAUSE I THINK THEY’RE
TRYING TO CATCH UP TO BIDEN
INFLATION, OKAY?
I’M GIVING THEM A PASS.
MAYBE I’M RIGHT, MAYBE I’M WRONG
BUT ON THE SURFACE IT DOESN’T
SOUND SEW BAD BUT, BUT, BUT,
BUT, I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT
BECAUSE YOU TOOK ON THE PUBLIC
SECTOR UNIONS IN WISCONSIN BUT
THE BIDENS ARE GIVING UNIONS IN
GENERAL, PRIVATE UNIONS,
CONSTRUCTION UNIONS, THEY’RE
GIVING THEM EVERYTHING BUT THE
KITCHEN SINK.
APPLYING BACON DAVIS WAGE
INCREASES TO THINGS THAT HAVE
NEVER BEEN APPLIED BEFORE.
THEY’RE MIXING TAX POLICY WITH
CONSTRUCTION POLICY AND SO FORTH
AND THAT I THINK IS A VERY BAD
IDEA.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS BIDEN
UNION POLICY?
>> I AGREE WITH YOU ON BOTH
COUNTS.
ONE I DON’T BLAME THE RAIL
WORKERS FOR TRYING TO KEEP UP
WITH INFLATION, AS YOU CALL IT
BIDEN INFLATION BECAUSE IT IS
OUT OF CONTROL.
IT MAKES SENSE THEY’RE TRYING TO
DO THAT BUT THIS UNFAIR
ADVANTAGE, TIPPING SCALE, AS
PRESIDENT HIMSELF, JOE BIDEN
SAID THE OTHER DAY YOU WOULDN’T
BE THERE FOR THE UNIONS AND
UNION CRONIES, THE BOSSES.
THE AVERAGE WORKING MAN AND
WOMAN IN THIS COUNTRY I THINK
DESERVE A GOOD WAGE BUT THEY
NEED TO GET IT IN RETURN BY
WORKING HARD, WORKING WITH THEIR
EMPLOYERS AND THE BIGGEST
PROBLEM WHAT WE SEE IS THE
ADVANTAGE OF TIPPING THE SCALE
THAT THEY’RE DOING AT THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL.
LARRY: NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS
BOARD, TRYING TO YOU KNOW, STOP
THE SECRET BALLOT IN THESE UNION
ELECTIONS.
THEY’RE COOPERATING WITH UNION
LEADERS IN THESE ELECTIONS.
THEY HAVE CALLED ELECTIONS OFF.
THEY HAVE DONE, CALLED DO-OVERS.
FORMER LABOR SECRETARY TOLD ME
TODAY, IT IS THE MOST AGGRESSIVE
PRO-UNION NLRB IN HALF A
CENTURY.
>> WELL, WE SEE IT NOT ONLY
TRADITIONAL PLACES, YOU’RE
SEEING IT OTHER PLACES.
AMAZON, EVEN OTHERS WHO WEREN’T
NORMALLY IN THE MIX ON THIS, ARE
SEEING EXACTLY HOW AGGRESSIVE
THE ADMINISTRATION IS WITH THEIR
POLITICAL ALLIES THERE, AND
LOOK, THAT IS JUST TIPPING THE
SCALE IN A WRONG DIRECTION.
WE KNOW AT A TIME WHEN PRICES
ARE HIGH FOR FOOD, FUEL,
HOUSING, CERTAINLY FOR OTHER
COMMODITIES OUT THERE, THE LAST
THING WE NEED TO DO IS ADDING
HIGHER COSTS, PARTICULARLY A LOT
OF THAT IS GOING INTO THE HANDS
OF ELITE FEW, THE UNION BOSSES.
IT LOOKS WORSE WHEN YOU LOOK
WHAT THEY’RE DOING WITH THE
GOVERNMENT UNIONS.
I FOR ONE THERE SHOULDN’T BE ANY
GOVERNMENT UNIONS.
ODDLY ENOUGH I AGREE WITH
FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT.
FDR WAS RIGHT, WE DON’T NEED
GOVERNMENT UNIONS.
THEY’RE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR
SHUTTING DOWN THE ECONOMY IN THE
FIRST PLACE.
MANY CASES KEEPING OUR SCHOOLS
CLOSED FOR THE PAST 2 1/2 YEARS.
ALL PROBLEMS WITH UNION BOSSES.
WE NEED TO BE PRO-TAXPAYER,
PRO-WORKER BUT NOT PRO-UNION
BOSS.
LARRY: WHAT DID YOU DO TO STOP
THE UNION, YOU STEPPED IN, YOU
TOOK A LOT OF HEAT AND
EVENTUALLY YOU WON.
YOU STOPPED THIS COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING CHARADE WHERE THE
TAXPAYERS WERE NEVER REALLY
REPRESENTED AT THE BARGAINING
TABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE
GOVERNMENT PUBLIC UNIONS.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
WE TOOK THE OUTER OUT OF THE
HANDS OF THE BIG GOVERNMENT
UNION BOSSES AND SHIFTED IT TO
THE HARD-WORKING PEOPLE, PEOPLE,
HARD-WORKING TAXPAYERS AT THE
STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL WHO ARE
NOW IN CHARGE WHAT HAPPENS WITH
THEIR GOVERNMENT, NOT JUST A FEW
UNION BOSSES ALONG THE WAY.
THAT MADE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE.
WE’VE SEEN THE BIGGEST INCREASE
OF ANY STATE IN THE NATION,
BIGGEST DECREASE IN UNION
MEMBERSHIP OVER THE PAST 20
YEARS HAS BEEN IN WISCONSIN.
AT THE SAME TIME WE’VE SEEN OVER
$15 BILLION WORTH OF SAVINGS FOR
STATE AND LOCAL TAXPAYERS AND
MOST OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR
INCLUDING UNION EMPLOYEES
ACTUALLY HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE
IN THEIR WAGES BECAUSE THAT IS
WHEN WE GOT THE GOVERNMENT OUT
OF THE WAY, AND LEFT IT UP TO
THE FREE MARKET.
LARRY: I AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT
GOVERNMENT UNIONS
WHOLE-HEARTEDLY.
I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING
PRINCIPALLY AGAINST PRIVATE
SECTOR UNIONS, THEY SHOULD BE
FREE, FREE TO DETERMINE, 27
STATES ARE RIGHT TO WORK
NOWADAYS.
THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE TO GIVE A
BIG CHUNK OF THEIR PAYCHECK TO
LEFT-WING UNION BOSSES.
THAT IS A BIG GRIPE I HAVE.
JUST THIS QUESTION ON DAVIS
BACON I’M SURE YOU’RE FAMILIAR
WITH, THIS IS BEING APPLIED,
EVEN THE CHIP COMPANIES,
SEMICONDUCTOR COMPANIES, IF THEY
DON’T USE DAVIS-BACON WAGE RATES
FOR CONSTRUCTION THEY WILL NOT
GET THEIR DAX CREDITS.
EVEN ON THE GREEN NEW DEAL
STUFF, THEY WILL GIVE OUT
BONUSES IF YOU DO USE
DAVIS-BACON WAGES.
NOW THAT IS AN INCURSION,
ENCROACHMENT WE’VE NEVER SEEN
BEFORE.
>> NOT ONLY IS IT POLITICALLY
WRONG BUT IT IS WRONG FOR THE
TAXPAYERS.
IT IS STICKING IT TO TAXPAYERS.
BEYOND WHAT WE DID FOR
GOVERNMENT BASED UNIONS, WE DID
RIGHT TO WORK, GIVING HE HAVE
WORKER RIGHT TO CHOOSE.
WE’RE ONE OF THOSE 27 STATES
HARD TO TALK ABOUT, HARD TO
BELIEVE IN THE PROGRESSIVE BLUE
STATE OF WISCONSIN BUT WE DID
IT.
THE OTHER PART AT THE STATE AND
LOCAL LEVEL, PREVAILING WAGE.
THAT IS VERY MUCH LIKE
DAVIS-BACON OUT THERE.
WE REFORMED THAT AS WELL, THAT
KEEPS PRICES OF GOVERNMENT
PROJECTS DOWN.
IT IS PHENOMENAL FOR THE
TAXPAYERS.
AS I MENTIONED FOR THOSE UNIONS
STILL THERE IN THE PRIVATE
SECTOR, PROVIDING GOOD PRODUCT,
TRENDING THEIR MEMBERS, DOING
THE RIGHT THING PARTNERING WITH
THEIR EMPLOYERS THEIR WAGES HAVE
GONE UP THE PAST FEW YEARS.
YOU CAN DO IT WITHOUT GIVING
UNFAIR ADVANTAGE TO THE LABOR