Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was reelected on Tuesday November 4, 2014 despite the aggressive anti-Walker campaigning efforts of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

What sparked the AFSCME’s extreme opposition to Governor Walker?  Act 10, also known as the Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill.

Act 10 was proposed by Governor Walker in 2011 to proactively combat Wisconsin’s projected 3.6 billion dollar deficit.  Since its enactment in 2011, Act 10 has reduced the deficit by curbing union driven public employee costs such as compensation and health care, saving taxpayers billions.

In addition to cutting government spending, Act 10 has increased worker freedom by ending the automatic deduction of union dues from worker paychecks.  This change in the due collection method and Act 10’s requirement of annual union recertification has resulted in a roughly 70 percent decrease in Wisconsin AFSCME membership. 

No wonder AFSCME union president Lee Saunders said in a statement prior to the midterm elections, “We have a score to settle with Scott Walker…He took collective bargaining away from us.”

Regarding the union’s midterm election agenda, Saunders also explained that AFSCME efforts would not be limited to stopping Governor Walker’s reelection in Wisconsin.  Saunders said the union leadership planned to devote plenty of resources to 2014 Democratic gubernatorial candidates in Illinois, Florida, Connecticut, and Michigan in hopes of preventing similar anti-union movements.

Now that the elections are over and AFSCME efforts failed in not only Wisconsin, but also in Illinois, Florida, and Michigan, it is clear that small government and worker freedom are trending.  Hardworking Americans want to be able to exercise their right to choose whether or not they participate in labor union membership. Taxpayers are tired of spending their hard earned money to fund the expensive public pensions and lavish health care plans bargained by union bosses.

The success of Act 10 and political survival of Governor Walker have paved the road for labor reforms across the country. 

The message: Budgets can be tamed and so can public sector unions.