Wisconsin governor race: Candidates spar on Act 10, wages

MILWAUKEE - Labor Day kicks off the final sprint to Election Day, and the candidates for Wisconsin governor are out trying to win your vote.

This holiday is a chance for candidates to see large crowds at the last festivals of the summer. It’s a time when undecided voters start tuning into the race, as summer vacation is over, school returns to session and the campaign ads increase. 

On this holiday, Democratic candidate David Crowley marched in Milwaukee's LaborFest parade, and Republican Tom Tiffany visited the St. Martin’s Day Fair in Franklin. The stakes could not be higher, with both candidates offering competing visions for the state, including on labor.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

Candidates spar on Act 10

What they're saying:

On this Labor Day holiday, FOX6 asked both candidates about ACT 10, which placed restrictions on governmental worker unions, like teacher unions. It said they could negotiate raises only up to the level of inflation, with an exemption for police and fire unions.  It also required government workers to pay more for pensions and healthcare.

Democrats continue to fight this law, saying it hurts union workers, while Republicans say it is saving taxpayers billions a year and warn of what would happen if it goes away.

"It’s going to raise property taxes by $2 billion a year in Wisconsin. It’s going to blow a hole in school district budgets as well as local town and county budgets, also," Tiffany said of scrapping ACT 10. "I hope that doesn’t happen. It was put in place years ago, and it saved property taxpayers billions of dollars over the last 15 years here in Wisconsin."

"Well, it just doesn’t go away," Crowley said when asked if the law would be eliminated if he was governor. "We have to make sure we take back the state senate, and take back the assembly, as well, to make sure you have a legislature to actually make it happen. In the end, this administration is about making sure that workers have a seat at the table, which is a stark contrast to our opponent, Congressman Tom Tiffany."

Candidates spar on minimum wage

What they're saying:

On this Labor Day holiday, FOX6 asked both candidates about work and pay. Wisconsin's minimum wage is currently $7.25. Crowley calls for raising it immediately to $15 an hour – and then $20 an hour by 2030.

"I think all of us would agree that $7.25 an hour is much lower than the minimum that you need to survive in this state, so we do need to increase the minimum wage in this state," Crowley said. "Increasing it to $20 an hour will give people the ability to afford the things that matter to them and their families, but you’re not going to get that with Congressman Tom Tiffany."

"I think a much better way is to do it through growth. So, he’s [Crowley’s] talking about taking it up as much as $20 an hour. Why set that as a ceiling? I want people to make more than $20 an hour. There’s very few people who are paid the minimum wage anymore: $7.25 an hour," Tiffany said. "We should bring in good, high-paying jobs in Wisconsin and you do that by reducing regulations and also making sure that you reduce taxes in Wisconsin, so people have more money in their pockets."

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

The stakes are high

Big picture view:

Wisconsin will decide between these competing visions for Wisconsin, not just on labor, but on so much more.

"What are the things that state government touches people about? It touches them with state parks, it touches them with taxes, income taxes, sales taxes, it touches them with land use, job creation, regulation of licensing, it touches them about abortion. So, all the kind of issues that are on people's minds, wherever they are in their life," said UW-Milwaukee Professor Emeritus Mordecai Lee.

Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Jason Calvi and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.