Take note of the AP’s spin in this headline:

Walker-backed union law hits AFSCME hard

Government unions have been hitting taxpayers hard for decades. They have used their position to extract ever-escalating benefits and lavish pensions from government, mostly Democrats in places like Wisconsin, which they turn around and donate some of to Democrats. That keeps the gravy train for both the government workers and the Democrats going. Who cares if the whole thing is unsustainable and the taxpayers are getting ripped to shreds? Not the Associated (with dishonesty) Press.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The 2011 state law that all but ended collective bargaining for most public workers has hit Wisconsin’s second largest union particularly hard.

The latest tax documents available show combined income of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) dropped 45 percent in 2012 — the first full year of the law, according to The Capital Times.

In 2011, the four councils that make up the state organization reported a combined income of $14.9 million. In 2012 that dropped to $8.3 million. Dues revenue dropped 40 percent to $7.1 million.

Walker and supporters of the law said it was a way to help local governments reduce the costs of employee benefits, but the legislation also included measures aimed at financially weakening unions by ending automatic dues deductions.

Why were the unions ever allowed to take workers’ money before those workers ever saw it? Because it helped the unions and their Democrat allies. The entire scheme had a partisan purpose. The scheme was never fair. Now it’s undone.