Marty Beil, brusque Wisconsin labor leader, dies at 68
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Version 0 of 1. Marty Beil, the burly and often brusque leader of the Wisconsin state employee labor union for 30 years who became a leading antagonist of Gov. Scott Walker, died Oct. 1 at home in Mazomanie, Wis. He was 68. The cause of death was not immediately known, said his sister, Mickey Beil. To many, Mr. Beil was the face of the state employees union, an outspoken advocate for workers’ rights for more than 40 years. He was a divisive figure, reviled by his political opponents and revered by those he represented and their allies. He was at the center of the losing fight in 2011 against Walker’s proposal, known as Act 10, which effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers represented by Mr. Beil’s union. Mr. Beil helped organize the protests that grew as large as 100,000 people and was a mainstay in the Capitol, testifying in public hearings or rallying his supporters with a bullhorn. One of the targets of Mr. Beil’s anger, Senate Republican leader Scott Fitzgerald, said the fight over Act 10 became personal and forever tarnished their working relationship. “I got along great with Marty for 15 years, but obviously Act 10 changed that,” Fitzgerald said. Walker, who last month dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. He had made his battle against unions a centerpiece of his biography. Mr. Beil’s dislike for Walker and Republicans who voted for the Act 10 union restrictions was palpable. “These guys are off the wall,” Mr. Beil said in 2011. “They’re drunk with some kind of power or misconception of reality.” He said Walker was “hell bent on creating a climate of fear, intimidation and hostility.” And he didn’t reserve his distaste for Republicans. When Democratic state Sen. Russ Decker voted against new union contracts in 2010, Mr. Beil called him a “whore.” That decision to not implement the contracts made it easier for Walker to take away the unions’ bargaining power months later. Mr. Beil started working as a probation and parole officer for the state in 1969. He became active with the union and was chosen as president of his local chapter in 1973. He was elected president of the Wisconsin State Employees union in 1978 and held the position until 1985, when he was selected as the union’s executive director. Mr. Beil retired in June, saying he felt it was time to step aside for a younger generation of leaders after his union merged with two others earlier in the year. Mr. Beil, in his typically blunt manner, said in an Associated Press interview in June that he expected Republicans to continue trying to eliminate unions. “I think the commitment from Republicans to kill unions is from top to bottom,” Mr. Beil said. “They’re going to spread their vile stuff. . . . My retirement isn’t going to stop them.” Information on survivors was not immediately available. CORRECTION: The obituary for Mr. Beil reported erroneously that then-Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker did not allow a vote on union contracts for state employees in 2010. Decker allowed a vote, but he voted against the contracts. The obituary has been revised. — Associated Press |