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Mary Burke Calls for Rolling Back Parts of Act 10, Keeping Common Core, Responds to Campaign Snafus

Burke campaign photo, via Facebook

Democrat Mary Burke says if she's elected governor, she would seek to change some key parts of Act 10, Governor Walker's controversial legislation that eliminated collective bargaining rights for most public employees.

Burke told WUWM's Lake Effect that she believes public employees should pay for benefits such as health insurances at a comparable rate to private sector employees. "But," she says, "I want to restore the right to collectively bargain, and I do want to make sure folks in the public sector are competitively paid, so we are able to attract and keep good people."

Burke spoke at length about a variety of subjects, including Common Core standards and other education policy issues.

She also addressed the snafu that hit her campaign late last week when it was revealed that parts of her employment platform were copied verbatim from the platforms of other campaigns around the country. The work was reportedly that of a campaign consultant, with whom the campaign has subsequently cut ties.

"I am going to draw on best practices and innovative ideas that are working in other parts of the country," Burke says.  "But this plan is very in-depth, and what has been identified are very small passages."

"Eric [Schnurer, the consultant] used some very similar language - some exact wording - that he had used in other plans that he had provided to other campaigns.  And that's wrong, and that's why we cut ties with his firm."

Editor: This story will be updated.