The Great Divide | 10 stories about Act 10

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The most seismic political story of the last decade in Wisconsin began on Feb. 7, 2011, when Republican Gov. Scott Walker informed a gathering of cabinet members of plans to unilaterally roll back the power of public sector unions in the state. He "dropped the bomb," as Walker would describe it afterward, four days later.

The audacious proposal, to be known forever after as Act 10, required public employees to pay more for pension and health insurance benefits, but also banned most subjects of collective bargaining and placed obstacles to maintaining union membership.

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Act 10: The Great Divide preview

Act 10: 'They didn’t want their rights taken away'

Act 10: 'It’s working'

Act 10: 'Are you a teacher?'

Act 10: 'The end of bipartisanship'

Act 10: 'A happy employee is a better employee'

Act 10: 'As different as daylight and dark'

Act 10: 'Here comes Ian’s Pizza'

Act 10: 'The people had their voices heard'

Act 10: 'This is what needed to happen'

Act 10: 'If Act 10 had not passed'

In this Series

The Great Divide: The legacy of Wisconsin's Act 10

Updated Aug 5, 2025
Act 10: The Great Divide preview
Updated Feb 10, 2026
The Great Divide | 10 stories about Act 10
Updated Feb 10, 2026
10 years later: Wisconsin's Act 10 has produced labor savings, but at a cost
20 updates

The Great Divide: The legacy of Wisconsin's Act 10

The Great Divide: The legacy of Wisconsin's Act 10

A decade after the debate and protests over the anti-union law known as Act 10 convulsed the state, Wisconsin remains firmly divided on the law.

The Great Divide: The legacy of Wisconsin's Act 10

The Great Divide: The legacy of Wisconsin's Act 10

A decade after the debate and protests over the anti-union law known as Act 10 convulsed the state, Wisconsin remains firmly divided on the law.

Looking back a decade later, 10 stories about Act 10

Looking back a decade later, 10 stories about Act 10

The most seismic political story of the last decade in Wisconsin began on Feb. 7, 2011, when Republican Gov. Scott Walker informed a gathering…

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