Protesters to Walker: Stay Out of Illinois

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker continues to attract protesters during his tour through Illinois, and his stop in Chicago on Friday was no different.

“I am here to tell Mr. Walker and the rest of the country that their politics are not good for the middle class or for this nation, “said protester Joel Livers.

Walker, who faces a recall election in June, continues to stir up controversy over his speech, dubbed “The Path to Prosperity,” at a luncheon hosted by the Illinois Policy Institute.

The speech was first debuted in Springfield on Tuesday and seemed to attack the governor of his host state. In his speech, Walker touted his ability to balance his state’s budget without tax increases while he said Illinois’ income tax hike has failed to eliminate our state’s deficit.

It was enough to evoke a response from Gov. Pat Quinn who released a statement highlighting some stats that Walker left out of his speech, like Illinois beating out Wisconsin in job creation.

When Walker arrived in Chicago, protesters had gathered at the corner of LaSalle and Adams streets where the luncheon was held to send a message to the governor.

“We want Scott Walker to stay out of Illinois,” said protester Bob Boskovich.

Many of the protesters expressed feelings that Walker's "path" is damaging the middle class and his reforms are not wanted in Illinois -- specifically the reforms that strip public employees of collective bargaining rights, slashed pensions and repealed laws protecting equal pay for employees.

“We're watching,” said United Pilots Association member Halli Mulei when asked what she wanted the governor to know. “Labor is watching his actions, and we obviously disagree very strongly."

On Tuesday, union leaders boarded a bus to Springfield to protest Walker’s speech at the state’s capital.

More than two dozen union members took the trip downstate to protest the visit. When they arrived, they met more than 1,000 demonstrators shouting, "Scott Walker's got to go" and "Union buster."

Last year Walker's controversial budget bill was passed while several Democratic senators were on the lam in Illinois. After three days of debate, the assembly passed the measure that would strip collective bargaining rights from most public workers before Democrats knew what was happening.

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