No movement on Act 10 reversal in a polarizing year

Act 10 was the signature accomplishment under Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a law that sharply limited collective bargaining for most public employees in Wisconsin.

Democrat Tony Evers narrowly defeated Walker in 2018 after a campaign in which the former schools superintendent said he would repeal or soften Act 10. At the halfway point in Evers' four-year term, it's time to check in on that promise.

Republicans have long celebrated Act 10 for the financial benefits it brought schools and local governments, while Democrats have decried it for hamstringing labor unions and their power to protect workers. In short, it's about as partisan a topic as there is.

And this particular chapter of Wisconsin governmental history hasn't exactly been marked by compromise.

Evers and the Republican-run Legislature have butted heads at almost every turn. Legislative leaders avoided taking action when Evers called special sessions on gun control, elections and police reform. This came to a head (or lack of one) in the last half of 2020 as the Legislature went more than six months without even passing a bill as COVID-19 exacted a heavy toll across the state.

In this political atmosphere — and amid a historic pandemic — Evers has not attempted to address Act 10. He is still only halfway through the term, so there's time to move the needle, but at this point we rate this promise Stalled.