On, Wisconsin!

Wisconsin's Republican state Senate president, Scott Fitzgerald, made a big announcement Friday. As Right Wisconsin first reported, the Badger State's legislature will meet this week in an extraordinary session and pass a right-to-work law. Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, is expected to sign it.

Right-to-work laws forbid making the payment of union dues a condition for getting or keeping one's job. It lets each worker decide whether he wants to be part of a union. Twenty-four states already have such laws on the books. A right-to-work bill also passed Missouri's state House earlier this month, but it will likely be vetoed by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon.

Until recently, right-to-work was a dormant issue. Only two states adopted it in the 24 years between 1977 and 2011. But two more — Indiana and Michigan — have done so just since 2012. This is no coincidence. The movement of Midwestern states toward right-to-work comes just as they find a need to shield themselves and their employers from the aggressively pro-union policies of the Obama administration, which are aimed less at respecting workers' rights and more at propping up a dying source of Democratic political strength.

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