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Police search for Wisconsin Democrats
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Protestors demonstrate in the rotunda of the state capitol on February 24, 2011 in Madison, Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Republicans sent police on Thursday on an unsuccessful search for the 14 runaway Senate Democrats who fled the state to block a vote on a spending bill that would curtail public union bargaining rights.
Republicans dispatched state patrol officers to the Democrats’ homes in an attempt to end a standoff over Republican Governor Scott Walker’s proposal to strip most collective bargaining rights from public union workers.
All 14 Democrats in the Senate fled to Illinois last week to deny Republicans a quorum and a vote on the bill, which has become a flashpoint in a growing national battle over labor union power.
Republicans hold a 19-14 Senate majority but need a quorum of 20 to vote on spending bills. The Democrats fled the state because they feared they could be compelled to attend the Senate if they remained.
Some Republicans suspected the Democrats have been sleeping in their own beds at night. Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said he had hoped the Democrats could be convinced to return, although he acknowledged the officers cannot arrest them.
“It’s a gesture that shows we’re still serious and a call of the house should be honored,” Fitzgerald told the website Wispolitics.com.
The move came as Democrats and Republicans in the lower house of the state legislature, the Assembly, agreed to limit debate and vote later on Thursday on the bill, which Walker says is necessary to close a budget deficit of $137 million for this fiscal year and $3.6 billion in the next two years.
The agreement came after a second straight all-night session in the state Capitol, about 43 hours after the Assembly took up the proposal on Tuesday.
But approval in the assembly, where Republicans hold a 57-38 majority, will not ease the Senate standoff over a plan that has generated widespread protests among Wisconsin teachers and other union members.
More than 50,000 demonstrators poured into the state capital of Madison over the weekend to protest against the plan. Hundreds continued to protest inside the Capitol on Thursday, turning the building into an indoor campground.
The Assembly debate on Walker’s proposal was broadcast over loudspeakers.
OTHER STATES CONSIDER UNION CURBS
If Republicans prevail in Wisconsin, several other states could be inspired to take on powerful public unions. Wisconsin-inspired curbs on union rights have been debated in the legislatures of other states including Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Kansas.
In Indiana, Democrats boycotting the state legislature appeared to score a victory on Wednesday when a “right to work” law that would restrict unions was put aside until next year.
But Republicans proposed a rule change to extend a reading deadline on the bills from this Friday until next Friday, March 4, to keep the bills alive, said John Schorg, media relations director for the Indiana house Democrats.
U.S. state and local governments are struggling to balance budgets after the recession decimated their finances. Other states like Texas, Arizona and Ohio are relying mainly on cuts in spending, while Minnesota and Illinois are raising taxes.
The Wisconsin changes sought by Walker would make state workers contribute more to health insurance and pensions, end government collection of union dues, let workers opt out of unions and require unions to hold recertification votes every year.
Collective bargaining would be allowed only on wage increases up to the rate of inflation.
Democratic lawmakers and unionized public employees said the measure is an attempt to bust the unions and choke off funding to organized labor, the largest source of funding to the Democratic Party.
A majority of Wisconsin voters think Walker’s bid to make public sector union members pay more for benefits is fair but also believe those workers should have collective bargaining rights, according to a new poll.
Wisconsin voters are split evenly in their views of Walker’s proposal and of the protesters demonstrating against his plans, said the poll sponsored by WisconsinReporter.com, a news organization operated by the nonprofit Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity based in Alexandria, Virginia.
Walker wants the bill passed by Friday as part of a plan to push principal payments on general obligation bonds into future years to save $165 million. Under that plan, the bill must be passed by Friday to allow time to sell the debt.
© 2011 Thomson Reuters
Republicans dispatched state patrol officers to the Democrats’ homes in an attempt to end a standoff over Republican Governor Scott Walker’s proposal to strip most collective bargaining rights from public union workers.
All 14 Democrats in the Senate fled to Illinois last week to deny Republicans a quorum and a vote on the bill, which has become a flashpoint in a growing national battle over labor union power.
Republicans hold a 19-14 Senate majority but need a quorum of 20 to vote on spending bills. The Democrats fled the state because they feared they could be compelled to attend the Senate if they remained.
Some Republicans suspected the Democrats have been sleeping in their own beds at night. Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said he had hoped the Democrats could be convinced to return, although he acknowledged the officers cannot arrest them.
“It’s a gesture that shows we’re still serious and a call of the house should be honored,” Fitzgerald told the website Wispolitics.com.
The move came as Democrats and Republicans in the lower house of the state legislature, the Assembly, agreed to limit debate and vote later on Thursday on the bill, which Walker says is necessary to close a budget deficit of $137 million for this fiscal year and $3.6 billion in the next two years.
The agreement came after a second straight all-night session in the state Capitol, about 43 hours after the Assembly took up the proposal on Tuesday.
But approval in the assembly, where Republicans hold a 57-38 majority, will not ease the Senate standoff over a plan that has generated widespread protests among Wisconsin teachers and other union members.
More than 50,000 demonstrators poured into the state capital of Madison over the weekend to protest against the plan. Hundreds continued to protest inside the Capitol on Thursday, turning the building into an indoor campground.
The Assembly debate on Walker’s proposal was broadcast over loudspeakers.
OTHER STATES CONSIDER UNION CURBS
If Republicans prevail in Wisconsin, several other states could be inspired to take on powerful public unions. Wisconsin-inspired curbs on union rights have been debated in the legislatures of other states including Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Kansas.
In Indiana, Democrats boycotting the state legislature appeared to score a victory on Wednesday when a “right to work” law that would restrict unions was put aside until next year.
But Republicans proposed a rule change to extend a reading deadline on the bills from this Friday until next Friday, March 4, to keep the bills alive, said John Schorg, media relations director for the Indiana house Democrats.
U.S. state and local governments are struggling to balance budgets after the recession decimated their finances. Other states like Texas, Arizona and Ohio are relying mainly on cuts in spending, while Minnesota and Illinois are raising taxes.
The Wisconsin changes sought by Walker would make state workers contribute more to health insurance and pensions, end government collection of union dues, let workers opt out of unions and require unions to hold recertification votes every year.
Collective bargaining would be allowed only on wage increases up to the rate of inflation.
Democratic lawmakers and unionized public employees said the measure is an attempt to bust the unions and choke off funding to organized labor, the largest source of funding to the Democratic Party.
A majority of Wisconsin voters think Walker’s bid to make public sector union members pay more for benefits is fair but also believe those workers should have collective bargaining rights, according to a new poll.
Wisconsin voters are split evenly in their views of Walker’s proposal and of the protesters demonstrating against his plans, said the poll sponsored by WisconsinReporter.com, a news organization operated by the nonprofit Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity based in Alexandria, Virginia.
Walker wants the bill passed by Friday as part of a plan to push principal payments on general obligation bonds into future years to save $165 million. Under that plan, the bill must be passed by Friday to allow time to sell the debt.
© 2011 Thomson Reuters
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