Newsmakers: Public Employee Union Leaders
Three leaders of large public employee unions said they are not going away, despite Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s win in a June 5 recall election over union-backed Democratic candidate Tom Barrett. Marty Beil, executive director of AFSCME Council 24; Mary Bell, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, and Bryan Kennedy, president of American Federation of Teachers – Wisconsin, conceded that Walker’s repeal of collective bargaining laws have weakened their unions. But they vowed to continue to push workers’ right issues, including making sure no changes are made to public-employee pension laws. In the June 14 Newsmakers interview, all three union leaders refused to list potential Democratic Party candidates for governor in 2014.
