Madison, WI – The Wisconsin Assembly early Friday passed a bill that would strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights — the first significant action on the new Republican governor’s plan.
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The vote put an end to three straight days of punishing debate, but the political standoff over the bill is far from over.
The Assembly vote sends the bill on to the state Senate, where minority Democrats have been missing for a week. No one knows when — or if — they’ll return from their hideout in Illinois. Republicans who control the Senate sent state troopers out looking for them at their homes on Thursday, but they turned up nothing.
Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal contains a number of provisions he says are designed to fill the state’s $137 million deficit and lay the groundwork for fixing a projected $3.6 billion shortfall in the upcoming 2011-13 budget. The flashpoint is language that would strip almost all public sector workers of their right to collectively bargain benefits and work conditions.
Democrats and unions see the measure as an attack on workers’ rights and an attempt to cripple union support for Democrats. Unions have said they would be willing to accept a provision that would increase workers’ contributions to their pensions and health care, provided they could still bargain collectively. But Walker has refused to compromise.
Tens of thousands of people have jammed the state Capitol since last week to protest, pounding on drums and chanting so loudly that police who are providing security have resorted to ear plugs. Hundreds have taken to sleeping in the building overnight, dragging in air mattresses and blankets.
Collective bargaining is a reality. The govt. can’t quiet people’s ability to unite. The fact is that social networking is here to stay. Taking away coll. barg. rights will simply lead to people banding together in other ways. The proof will come loud and clear after any law gets passed. There will most likely be a work stoppage that will completely cripple the economy. Then the govt. will have no one to talk to. It will be like responding to the anarchists in Egypt absent any real fire power. The govt can only bluff, they can’t replace thousands of teachers, especially under the conditions they are offering. Some sort of collective bargaining will be needed to stop the chaos.
Unionization is what saves the govt. the time and manpower from dealing with each individual employee’s requests and concerns.
The unions which are run as a thugocrisy are upset mostly because this bill would aloow for people to have a CHOICE of whether or not to join the union. If and when the bill passes, it will be interesting to see how many people leave the union.
I have a question, all those rent a mob people were protesting for a week or more, who was doing their job in the meantime?
I think #4 and #5 are right the politicians at both ends just want to stay in power so they pander to either the unions or big business. I think its time we go fiscally libertarian.