Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker has proposed a bill that would eliminate almost all collective bargaining rights for most public workers as well as slash pay and cut benefits with no negotiation. Walker has also notified the state’s National Guard to be on alert for actions taken by unsatisfied state, county and municipal employees. Journalist John Nichols has been writing about the governor’s power grab in The Nation magazine.

bq.John Nichols: “It’s easily the most radical assault on labor unions, particularly public labor unions, but really labor in general, that any Republican has initiated in decades, and it’s caused an incredible outcry in Wisconsin. There have already been a number of major demonstrations. There are expected to be many more. But this is coming to a head quickly.”