Gov. Scott Walker is in southeast Wisconsin to make an announcement about jobs. He took time Tuesday morning to stop by the FOX6 studios to answer questions about everything from the recall effort against him to the economy.
When asked whether he anticipated the animosity he would face regarding the bargaining rights debate, Gov. Walker said he knew there would be some push back. But he says he had no idea the national attention it would draw.
Gov. Walker says Illinois did the opposite of what Wisconsin did. He says that state raised taxes and still had to lay off thousands of state workers. Walker says he wanted to give business owners and workers the freedom of choice - the choice to decide whether they wanted to have union dues removed from their paycheck.
As for the recall, Gov. Walker made news on FOX6 WakeUp when he indicated he did not collect a dime to combat the recall effort until November 15th. That's the same date as the start of the Democratic effort to recall Walker.
When asked about whether it's fair to not include firefighters and police officers in the collective bargaining debate, Gov. Walker said he would not do something that wouldn't guarantee the safety of the people in Wisconsin. He says that's why firefighters and police officers are exempt.
There was a loss of jobs in Wisconsin in October -- as compared to a year ago. When asked about that, Gov. Walker indicated that since January, there has actually been a net increase of jobs. Walker says the recent loss in jobs is connected to federal debt and the lack of finding a solution to the problem.
Gov. Walker is in town to make an announcement on jobs. He told FOX6 News the announcement is about a Bayside company and a joint venture with India. Walker says there will be 250 new jobs created with an average pay of $60,000. He says those jobs are engineering, IT development jobs.