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The Democratic lawmakers in Wisconsin left the state ending, at lest temporarily, shutting down the debate in the State Senate on the controversial bill that would strip state workers of their bargaining rights. According to the rules that govern the body, at least one Democrat must be present for a vote to take place. Governor Scott Walker has insisted that in the face of a large budget deficit this is an austerity measure. In reality. this is union busting, denying union workers their rights at the collective bargaining table.
According to Channel 3000 in Madison the DEmocratic lawmakers have been located in a Rockford, IL hotel
Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin has proposed a bill that would kill state employees rights to collectively bargain for anything except wages. Seen as not only an assault on public employees, it is also being seen an attempt to end union representation. With threats of protests from Wisconsin state workers, Gov. Walker threatened to call out the National Guard.
Tuesday, nearly 30,000 state workers showed up in Madison, the state capitol, to protest. Schools were closed and students marched in solidarity with their teachers. Some of the signs reflected the current revolts in the Middle East with slogans like “If Egypt Can Have Democracy, Why Can’t Wisconsin?,” “We Want Governors Not Dictators,” and “Hosni Walker.” Ouch.
Even though though the Wisconsin Senate President has said there are enough votes to pass the governor’s bill, there are indications that there is some wavering:
State Sen. Dan Kapanke of La Crosse told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he didn’t know where Republicans stood on the proposal that drew more than 13,000 protesters to the state Capitol on Tuesday.
When asked about the position of Republicans, Kapanke said he didn’t know the answer.
The bill was voted out of committee early this morning on a strictly partisan vote and school districts will be closed on Thursday in anticipation of protests.
Russ Feingold, former Wisconsin Senator and founder of Progressives United, talks with Rachel Maddow about the rallies against the bill and how to politically empower the American working class against corporate greed.
Even the NFL Champion Green Bay Packers came out in support of state workers with current players Brady Poppinga and Jason Spitz and former Packers Curtis Fuller, Chris Jacke, Charles Jordan, Bob Long and Steve Okoniewski [who issued this statement]:
We know that it is teamwork on and off the field that makes the Packers and Wisconsin great. As a publicly owned team we wouldn’t have been able to win the Super Bowl without the support of our fans. It is the same dedication of our public workers every day that makes Wisconsin run. They are the teachers, nurses and child care workers who take care of us and our families. But now in an unprecedented political attack Governor Walker is trying to take away their right to have a voice and bargain at work. The right to negotiate wages and benefits is a fundamental underpinning of our middle class. When workers join together it serves as a check on corporate power and helps ALL workers by raising community standards. Wisconsin’s long standing tradition of allowing public sector workers to have a voice on the job has worked for the state since the 1930s. It has created greater consistency in the relationship between labor and management and a shared approach to public work. These public workers are Wisconsin’s champions every single day and we urge the Governor and the State Legislature to not take away their rights.”
More protests are scheduled for today.
Remind me again, what country do I live in?
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