1-7-14 wi unions-teacher benefits

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A new study says that cuts to teachers' benefits pushed by Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican Legislature in 2011 offset a $450 million state aid reduction.  The report released Monday by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance updates its earlier findings released in 2012 that showed the reduction in benefits only covered about two-thirds of the revenue cut in Walker's budget. Walker's budget that year essentially eliminated collective bargaining for teachers and other public workers, while also requiring them to pay more for health insurance and retirement benefits.  The Taxpayers Alliance report looks only at schools. No comparable figures are available for cities, villages and counties.  The report's findings help bolster Walker's argument that he was giving schools the tools necessary to deal with the aid cuts.