Is Governor Walker Creating Power Plant Jobs On The Downlow?

I’ve been doing a little digging around the web since the protests in Wisconsin began. Maybe me eyes are deceiving me, but it looks like Governor Walker may have already started creating jobs—just not ones he’s ready to tell anyone about yet.

While my friends at Crooks and Liars swear it has to be the hated Koch brothers who are going to be the new owners of the state owned power plants Walker wants to sell, I’m really not convinced it would be them, mostly because the size of these state owned power plants, located mostly at college campuses, prisons, and state office buildings, don’t seem to be able to generate enough revenue to move the needle for a conglomerate that takes in tens of billions of dollars a year.

But this ad at Think Energy:

Energy client is looking for experienced Plant Managers for multiple power plants located in Wisconsin. You need 15+ years of operations & maintenance experience in a power plant environment.

is a pretty good indication that a corporation somewhere thinks these power plant sales is a done deal. The part of the Think Energy post that has to ad insult to injury for the state of Wisconsin workers these power plant firesales will displace? The positions offer an “excellent medical benefits package” and a “10% performance bonus potential”.

“According to Wisconsin local boilermakers’ union members, the provision in Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill that will allow no-bid contracts (16.896) will only affect two plants, one that powers the University of Wisconsin and one that powers the State Capitol.”

Are Wisconsin’s Not-Yet-Sold Off Power Plants Already Filling Plant Manager Positions? 

I also ran across a blog by Larry Wohlgemuth that looked at the standoff between the public sector unions and the state of Wisconsin’s chief executive officer the way real people look at things. A few tidbits:

“Now the governor has a dilemma. Less than two months into his term he’s alienated everybody that works for him. Those of us who’ve worked in management know how uncomfortable it can be to have alienated just a couple of people, and he has 283,000 with which to contend. It begs the question, what will Walker’s life be like over the next four years?”

“He’s not messing with welfare queens here, rather he’s attacked intelligent, educated people. These are folks that know how to use computers, know how to conduct investigations and understand how to organize themselves to use their abilities effectively. Scott Walker will have no peace, even in the bathroom.”

“Middle-class white people have taken to the street, and that’s what it took to end the Vietnam War. We can win this one, but we must stay united. Peace in power to all my brothers and sisters out there standing up for the working man, and remember, everything you get from your employer is based on what union employees get. Standing up for them is standing up for yourself.”

Governor Scott Walker’s Wisconsin Nightmare   It Begs The Question

I did cringe at his “welfare queen” remark, but the blogger articulated in just these three paragraphs the reasons why Scott Walker will continue to get his ass handed to him long after this showdown is over. Which kind of brings us to the only thing the national political pundits are really worried about—how does this affect President Obama?

Mr. Wohlgemuth analyzes that very question in his blog post today, titled “Where’s Wisconsin If Obama Didn’t Rescue the UAW?“