Gov. Walker signs bill making Wisconsin right-to-work state

BROWN DEER, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker today signed into law a measure that prohibits requiring a worker to pay union dues, striking another blow against organized labor four years after the state effectively ended collective bargaining for public-sector employees.

Walker, a likely presidential candidate fresh off a weekend visit to Iowa, signed the right-to-work bill affecting private-sector workers at an invitation-only ceremony at Badger Meter north of Milwaukee. The company's president was one of the few business owners who publicly supported the measure, which rocketed through the Legislature in less than two weeks.

His sleeves rolled up and his suit jacket off, the Republican governor sat at a table with a banner that said "Freedom to Work" as he signed the bill that makes it a misdemeanor to require workers to pay unions' dues.

Just before the signing, Walker said the new law "sends a powerful message across the country and around the world."

Supporters have argued the law will help keep and attract new businesses to the state who were wary to spend in Wisconsin before. But opponents say it will drive down wages and make the workplace less safe.