Claim: The typical Wisconsin worker makes $5,000 less each year than our neighbors in Minnesota" under Gov. Scott Walker’s policies.
Verdict: SUPPORTS

Retrieved passages:
title: Scott Walker (politician)
text: were cut by $2 billion. More than 100,000 jobs were created in the state of Wisconsin. Overall, Wisconsin performed above the national average. However it has yet to regain all the jobs lost during and after the Great Recession of 2007–2009. Walker proposed the Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill on February 11, 2011, estimated to save Wisconsin $30 million in the current fiscal year and $300 million over the next two years. The bill requires additional contributions by state and local government workers to their health care plans and pensions, amounting to roughly an 8% decrease in the average government worker's

title: Scott Walker (politician)
text: Critics argued that his proposals would help only the wealthy and that cutting the salaries of public employees would adversely affect state services, while supporters argued that tax cuts for businesses would spur the economy and create jobs. Walker indicated he would refuse an $810 million award from the federal Department of Transportation to build a high speed railroad line from Madison to Milwaukee as he believed it would cost the state $7.5 million per year to operate and would not prove profitable. This was in spite of offers by the mayor of Madison and the Dane County executive to

title: 2011 Wisconsin protests
text: local governments almost $1.5 billion, outweighing the reductions in state aid in the budget. He added that the unions claim they are willing to accept concessions, but their actions spoke louder than their words. During the three weeks following the publication of the opinion piece, local unions across the state pursued contracts without new pension or health-insurance contributions. Walker cited Governor Mitch Daniels as an example for his own budget repair when they repealed collective bargaining in Indiana in 2005, and claims it helped government become more efficient and responsive. He said the average pay for Indiana state employees has

title: Scott Walker (politician)
text: Wisconsin system and the state prisons. Other estimates of the subsidies go as high as $4.8 billion, which meant that the cost of the subsidy per job (assuming 13,000 jobs) was more than $346,000. Depending on how many jobs are created, the cost per job may go as high as more than a million dollars. Walker exempted the firm from Wisconsin's environmental rules regarding wetlands and streams. Walker and the Trump administration rolled back air pollution limits in the area of the plant, overruling objections of Environmental Protection Agency staff. The plant was estimated to contribute significantly to air pollution

title: The Agenda Project
text: slashed Amtrak’s funding every year. In 2015 Gov. and GOP presidential candidate Scott Walker slashed the budget for Wisconsin’s public education system by $250 million, the deepest in the history of Wisconsin’s higher education, leaving 41,000 without student aid. Scott Walker’s suggestion to people who want to escape poverty is to “learn more and earn more”. His suggestion for those who follow that advice and are now drowning in student loans is… "hold your breath.” With the help of One Wisconsin Now, Think Progress, StudentDebtCrisis.org, and Wisconsin Jobs Now, the “Hold Your Breath” ad had been widely distributed to highlight

title: 2011 Wisconsin protests
text: compensation." In January 2011, the state legislature passed a series of bills providing additional tax cuts and deductions for businesses at "a two-year cost of $67 million." In early February, the Walker administration projected a budget shortfall in 2013 (Wisconsin functions on two-year budgets) of $3.6 billion and a $137 million shortfall for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. The Walker-backed bill proposed to alleviate the budget shortfall included taking away the ability of public sector unions to bargain collectively over pensions and health care and limiting pay raises of public employees to the rate of inflation, as well

title: 2011 Wisconsin protests
text: least $25 million a year and possibly as much as $36 million in 2012 from health care benefit changes due to not having to negotiate with unions. This is offset by about $14 million in cuts in state aid. This contrasts with Mayor Tom Barrett's initial comments in March, after the Walker administration and the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau released figures on the extent of the aid cuts in the state budget. Racine County estimates it will save over $1.5 million in employee pension contributions that resulted from recent state collective bargaining changes. In addition, county employees will be more

title: Scott Walker (politician)
text: health insurance for the state's school districts. The changes to collective bargaining made it easier for school districts to change health insurance providers and negotiate better premiums. Walker claims that Wisconsin school districts have saved an estimated $30 million as a result of the change. In August 2012, the first investigation, which had been launched by John Chisholm, Milwaukee County District Attorney, a Democrat, into missing funds, was rolled into a second John Doe probe based on a theory that Governor Walker's campaign had illegally coordinated with conservative groups engaged in issue advocacy during the recall elections. The initial John

title: 2011 United States public employee protests
text: to fund the West Virginia Occupational and Safety Act, which was passed in 1987 to regulate workplace safety but has never been funded. Legislation proposed by Republican Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker to address a projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall has sparked protests in Wisconsin. The legislation would require state employees to contribute 5.8% of their salaries to cover pension costs, contribute 12.6% towards their health care premiums, and would limit collective bargaining rights for most public employee union members. Democrats and union leaders offered to accept the increased cost of benefits but not the removal of bargaining rights. Walker

title: Scott Walker (politician)
text: less than half of his salary) during his first term, and reduced his give-back to $10,000 per year during his second term. During his eight years in office, there were disputes with the county board "over taxes, privatization of public services, quality of parks and public buildings, and delivery of social services", according to the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel". The County Board approved several budgets over Walker's veto and he never submitted a budget with a higher property tax than the board had approved the prior year. During Walker's tenure the number of county employees was reduced by over 20% and

title: Matt Flynn (politician)
text: to repeal economic policies implemented during Governor Walker's tenure, which Flynn called "wage-killing." He also plans to introduce a bill to raise the minimum wage in Wisconsin to $15 per hour. The Republican Party of Wisconsin has criticized Flynn for his past legal work on behalf of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in cases involving allegations of sexual abuse. Several activists and organizations have called for Flynn to drop-out of the gubernatorial race due to his representation of the Archdiocese, including State Representatives Chris Taylor and Melissa Sargent, the Women's March Wisconsin Chapter, National Organization for Women Wisconsin Chapter, the Survivors

title: Foxconn's Wisconsin plant
text: Wisconsin system and the state prisons. Other estimates of the subsidies go as high as $4.8 billion, which meant that the cost of the subsidy per job (assuming 13,000 jobs) was more than $346,000. Depending on how many jobs are created, the cost per job may go as high as more than a million dollars. Walker exempted the firm from Wisconsin's environmental rules regarding wetlands and streams. Walker and the Trump administration rolled back air pollution limits in the area of the plant, overruling objections of Environmental Protection Agency staff. The plant was estimated to contribute significantly to air pollution

title: 2011 Wisconsin protests
text: the state passed referenda to prevent government officials from taking money from the transportation fund for use in other projects. Both Governor Walker and his opponent in the 2010 Governor's race, Tom Barrett, stated that they would not close the budget deficit by taking money from the transportation fund. As a candidate for governor, Walker proposed that state employees pay more toward their pensions saying it would save the state about $180 million a year. Walker was elected as Governor in November 2010. Under collective-bargaining agreements, employers and unions had negotiated health insurance considerations from carrier to cost to benefits.

title: Scott Walker (politician)
text: in funding for fighting domestic violence, mental health care, higher education, and job training. It also included a $343 million cut in income taxes and an expansion of the state's school voucher program. Walker's proposed budget for fiscal 2015–2017 included a $300 million cut to the University of Wisconsin System, while holding funding flat for K-12 public schools and continuing to expand the school voucher program. It included a plan to borrow $1.3 billion to fund improvements to roads and infrastructure, and proposed drug testing for recipients of public benefits like Medicaid and food stamps. On May 13, 2011, the

title: 2011 Wisconsin Act 10
text: for workers within the state of Wisconsin health insurance system, pay at least 12% of their premiums. Those cost savings had been crucial for local governments and school districts to deal with the more than $1 billion in cuts in state aid over two years that Walker and GOP lawmakers passed last year to close a state budget hole. Governor Walker's appeal (# 2012AP002067) of Judge Colas' ruling in "Madison Teachers, Inc. v. Scott Walker" was heard by the Supreme Court of the State of Wisconsin on November 11, 2013. Act 10 was upheld by the State Supreme Court on

title: 2011 Wisconsin protests
text: concessions that the state budget-repair bill required on most other public employee unions. Without such concessions, city officials would be forced to cut deeply into other services to make up for the cuts in state aid included in Gov. Scott Walker's 2011–'13 state budget. Walker's budget-repair bill would require most state and local government and school district employees to pay at least 5.8% of their pension costs and 12.6% of their health care premiums, while eliminating most collective bargaining, except for wages, within strict limits. But none of those changes would apply to police officers, firefighters, sheriff's deputies or state

title: Americans for Prosperity
text: has been a major supporter of Republican Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. In 2009 and 2010, AFP helped raise the statewide profile of Walker, then Milwaukee County county executive, by inviting him to address its rallies. In 2011, when Walker's agenda of reduced spending, cuts to union benefits, and limits on public-sector collective bargaining drew thousands in opposition to the streets around the state capitol in Madison, AFP bussed in hundreds to counter-protest. AFP spent $320,000 on television advertisements and sponsored a website and bus tour themed "Stand Against Spending, Stand With Walker", and spent a total of $7 million in

title: Scott Walker (politician)
text: from the prior budget. He proposed a 5.5% decrease in the maximum amount of funding school districts can receive from state aid and property taxes, which would limit how much property taxes could be increased to compensate for the reduction in state aid. The budget lowered state capital gains taxes for investments in Wisconsin businesses. It increased spending on health care by $1.3 billion to cover increased costs for Medicaid, and increased transportation funding by $410.5 million. Walker's proposed budget for fiscal 2013–2015 froze spending on public schools and tightened the income requirements for Medicaid recipients. It proposed an increase

title: 2011 Wisconsin protests
text: March 4, Governor Walker threatened to send layoff notices to 1,500 state employees if the budget repair bill was not passed. According to Walker, this move was needed to save the state $30 million. However, in the fake call, Walker had discussed using the threat of layoffs as a political weapon to put pressure on the Senate Democrats, saying "We might ratchet that up a little bit, you know." On March 5, filmmaker Michael Moore spoke to a crowd of 50,000 protesters, drawing cheers from the crowd as he repeatedly said, "America is not broke," and adding, "The country is

title: Wisconsin
text: second term in 2018 by Democrat Tony Evers, while Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin was elected to a second term. In 2010 Wisconsin's gross state product was $248.3 billion, making it 21st among U.S. states. The economy of Wisconsin is driven by manufacturing, agriculture, and health care. The state's economic output from manufacturing was $48.9 billion in 2008, making it the tenth largest among states in manufacturing gross domestic product. Manufacturing accounts for about 20% of the state's gross domestic product, a proportion that is third among all states. The per capita personal income was $35,239 in 2008. In March