New GQR Polls: Wisconsin Voters Diss Walker's Mess

(1)

The Democratic Strategist
February 22, 2011

http://www.thedemocraticstrategist.org/strategist/2011/02/wi_voters_diss_walkers_mess_in.php

Evan McMorris-Santoro's report at TPM on new polls of
Wisconsin voters, conducted by GQR Research for the
AFL-CIO 2/16-20 should give the demonstrators some
encouragement in their struggle against Gov. Walker's
union-busting. McMorris-Santorro explains,

    Sixty-two percent of respondents to the poll said
    they view public employees favorably, while just
    11% said they had an unfavorable view of the
    workers whose benefits packages Walker says are
    breaking the state budget.

    Meanwhile, just 39% of respondents had a favorable
    view of Walker, while 49% had an unfavorable view
    of the freshman Republican governor. Voters are
    split on his job performance, with 51% saying they
    disapprove of the job Walker has done.

As the GQR pollsters explain in their analysis, "Since
the protests began, Governor Walker has seen real
erosion in his standing, with a majority expressing
disapproval of his job performance and disagreement
with his agenda." And when read the following
description of the conflict in Madison, 52% of
respondents said they don't favor Walker's scheme, with
just 42% favoring it:

    As you may know, Governor Scott Walker recently
    announced a plan to limit most public employees'
    ability to negotiate their wages and benefits. The
    plan cuts pension and health care benefits for
    current public workers, and restricts new wage
    increases unless approved by a voter referendum.
    Contracts would be limited to one year, with wages
    frozen until a new contract is settled. In
    addition, Walker's plan also changes rules to
    require collective bargaining units to take annual
    votes to maintain certification as a union, stops
    employers from collecting union dues, and allows
    members of collective bargaining units to avoid
    paying dues. Law enforcement, fire employees and
    state troopers and inspectors would be exempt from
    the changes.

...Which underscores the importance of unions telling
their side of the story. The survey also found that 53
percent of voters rate unions favorably, with only 31
percent rating them unfavorably. Of those polled, 67
percent said they sided with the public employees, 62
percent with the protesters, 59 percent with the unions
and 56 percent with Democrats in the state legislature.
A majority, 53 percent, disagree with Governor Walker
and 46 percent disagree with Republicans in the state
legislature.

When asked, 58 percent of respondents oppose
eliminating collective bargaining, 57 percent oppose
cutting wages for public employees and half are against
cutting pension benefits for public employees.
Independents (59 percent) don't like it much, either,
nor do a third of Republicans, along with 78 percent of
Democrats. Three out of four respondents said they
opposed taking away public employees' collective
bargaining rights, including nearly half of
Republicans.

It appears Governor Walker may have succeeded in
currying favor with the Koch brothers. But Wisconsin
voters are unimpressed with his polarizing attack
against state workers.

Posted by J. P. Green on February 22, 2011 1:32 PM

(2)

Poll: Walker's Anti-Union Stance Turning Off Wisconsin
Voters
Talking Points Memo
February 21, 2011

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/poll-walkers-anti-union-stance-turning-off-wisconsin-voters.php

Union supporters in Wisconsin are pointing to a new
poll they say shows support for Gov. Scott Walker (R)
is straining under the weight of the thousands of
protesters gathered in and around the state capitol in
Madison.

The poll of Wisconsin voters, conducted by Democratic
pollster GQR Research for the AFL-CIO between Feb. 16
and 20, shows public feelings toward the union
supporters versus the Republican governor are vastly
different.

Sixty-two percent of respondents to the poll said they
view public employees favorably, while just 11% said
they had an unfavorable view of the workers whose
benefits packages Walker says are breaking the state
budget.

Meanwhile, just 39% of respondents had a favorable view
of Walker, while 49% had an unfavorable view of the
freshman Republican governor. Voters are split on his
job performance, with 51% saying they disapprove of the
job Walker has done.

"Since the protests began, Governor Walker has seen
real erosion in his standing," the GQR pollsters write
in their analysis, "with a majority expressing
disapproval of his job performance and disagreement
with his agenda."

Other questions from the poll show that when given a
detailed description on the current dispute between
labor and the Republicans in Madison, Wisconsin voters
tend to side with the unions. Here's what the detailed
question in the AFL-CIO-sponsored survey sounded like:

    As you may know, Governor Scott Walker recently
    announced a plan to limit most public employees'
    ability to negotiate their wages and benefits. The
    plan cuts pension and health care benefits for
    current public workers, and restricts new wage
    increases unless approved by a voter referendum.
    Contracts would be limited to one year, with wages
    frozen until a new contract is settled. In
    addition, Walker's plan also changes rules to
    require collective bargaining units to take annual
    votes to maintain certification as a union, stops
    employers from collecting union dues, and allows
    members of collective bargaining units to avoid
    paying dues. Law enforcement, fire employees and
    state troopers and inspectors would be exempt from
    the changes.

When given that read on the situation, 52% of
respondents said they don't favor Walker's scheme. Just
42% said they favor it.

Read the entire AFL-CIO polling memo here:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2011/02/afl-cio-wisc-polling-memo.php?page=1

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