PolitiFact.com
Statements about Labor
Gwen Moore

Gwen Moore

False

We’ve been down this path before — and the view’s the same

Says Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker "literally invented a $3.6 billion deficit."

Ed Garvey

Ed Garvey

False

The plan was already floated, but not by Walker

Says he has exposed plans by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to push legislation that would allow the state to declare financial martial law and take over municipal governments.

Chris Larson

Chris Larson

Mostly False

This claim has a little kick, but it is far from 100-proof

Republicans offered Wisconsin bar patrons "free shots (of alcohol) to sign recall petitions against" Democrats.

Dan Kapanke

Dan Kapanke

Pants on Fire!

Police told him, at the time, it was from a pebble while driving

Says protesters at the Wisconsin state Capitol on the night the state Senate passed collective bargaining changes damaged the windshield of his car.

Mark Pocan

Mark Pocan

False

Two ways to look at it … but not right under either

Says salaries and benefits for Wisconsin state employee comprised 8.5 percent of the 2009-2011 state budget.

State Democratic Party of Wisconsin

State Democratic Party of Wisconsin

False

Maybe soon, but not at this point in the process

Says Wisconsin state Sen. Randy Hopper, R-Fond du Lac, has already been recalled.

Jesse Jackson

Jesse Jackson

Mostly True

The accepted measure puts Milwaukee — the metro area — at No. 1

Milwaukee is "the most segregated city in America."

Greater Wisconsin Political Fund

Greater Wisconsin Political Fund

Half-True

Evidence cited is a mixed bag, though even Prosser acknowledges similarities

Says David Prosser = Scott Walker.

Chris Abele

Chris Abele

Mostly True

True for much of the campaign, but she got one recently.

Says Milwaukee County Parks director Sue Black has not received a pay raise in five years.

Jeff Stone

Jeff Stone

Half Flip

Voted consistently, but veered on explanations

On his support for sharply limiting collective bargaining by public employees.

Scott Fitzgerald

Scott Fitzgerald

Mostly False

Unprecedented departure stymied action, but GOP had the tools to break the logjam. And did.

Wisconsin was embroiled in a "constitutional crisis" brought on by the Democratic senators fleeing the state for Illinois to block Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair bill.  

Tom Barrett

Tom Barrett

Mostly True

Number’s on target, but other factors are also involved in declining tax base

"Eleven years ago, the city of Detroit lifted the residency requirement for police officers and today, 53 percent of officers live outside of the city. If we want the tax base of Milwaukee to resemble the tax base of Detroit, this is the way to go."

Milwaukee Police Association

Milwaukee Police Association

Mostly False

The proposals would save money, but assumptions behind the math show the bottom line is off

Says it has offered $12 million in savings through 2011 and $184 million in savings over the next 25 years in contract negotiations with the City of Milwaukee.

Crossroads GPS

Crossroads GPS

Mostly False

Even the report’s author says the ad takes the number out of context

In fighting collective bargaining changes, Democrats are trying to "protect a system that pays unionized government workers 42 percent more than non-union workers."

Scott Fitzgerald

Scott Fitzgerald

Half-True

The rhetoric overstates the reality, but on some points not by much

On the night of the Wisconsin state Senate vote on the budget package, "a mob showed up and busted down the door and took over the Capitol."

Mike Huebsch

Mike Huebsch

Pants on Fire!

Even the officials who used the number didn't believe it for long

Damage by protesters to the Wisconsin state Capitol will cost $7.5 million to repair.

Chain email

Chain email

False

No evidence for this one.

State employees will have to pay 100 percent of their pensions and health insurance after 2012.

Scott Walker

Scott Walker

Mostly True

Some pay a little less, but the numbers generally are on target

Wisconsin state and local government workers pay "$500, $600 or in some cases, $1,000" per year in union dues.

Rand Paul

Rand Paul

False

The correct average is actually 16 percent less

"The average (public school) teacher in Wisconsin’s making $89,000 a year" in salary and benefits.

MacIver Institute

MacIver Institute

True

The number is accurate. The same holds for several other Milwaukee area districts

In 2011, "the average annual compensation for a teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools system will exceed $100,000."

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