Wisconsin anti-union bill passes, heads to governor's desk

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: State Politics

Demonstrators make their voices heard as legislators deliberate a controversial budget bill in the Assembly room of the Wisconsin State Capitol Building in Madison, Wis., Thursday, March 10, 2011. Demonstrations at the capitol have intensified as House members gathered to vote on an amended version of Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill. The bill, which passed the state Senate earlier, largely strips public employees of bargaining rights.

(Credit: AP Photo/Wisconsin State Journal, John Hart)

Updated at 6:10 p.m. ET

The Wisconsin Assembly on Thursday afternoon passed the controversial bill limiting the power of public employee unions that has spurred massive protests in the state capital for weeks, paving the way for the bill to be signed into law.

The modified "budget repair bill" scales back public workers' benefits as well as their collective bargaining rights. The legislation, put forward by Republican Gov. Scott Walker, had been stalled in the state Senate after all 14 Democratic state senators fled the state to avoid a vote on the bill. Last night, however, Republicans in the state Senate used a legislative maneuver to pass the bill without a full quorum.

Now that both chambers have passed the bill, the governor's spokesperson Cullen Werwie said that Walker would sign the bill "as soon as possible," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Walker issued a statement after Thursday's vote applauding all members of the Assembly "for showing up, debating the legislation and participating in democracy."

"Their action will save jobs, protect taxpayers, reform government, and help balance the budget," he said. "Moving forward we will continue to focus on ensuring Wisconsin has a business climate that allows the private sector to create 250,000 new jobs."

The conflict over the legislation, however, is far from over. Protesters continued to pack the capitol building in Madison, the Republican state Senate leader Scott Fitzgerald has received a death threat, and questions remain as to whether Republicans violated state laws by passing the bill with little notice and without the Democrats present.

Today, attorneys for Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca filed a complaint with the Dane County district attorney's office alleging Wednesday's vote violated the state's open meetings law, according to the Journal Sentinel. During the Assembly session today, Barca unsuccessfully tried to remove Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald from the floor.

"Your speaker is impaired," Barca yelled on the Assembly floor. "Our democracy is out of control in Wisconsin... You all know it, you all feel it."

Jeff Fitzgerald said the bill was a "tough vote" for Republicans and a political "gamble," the Journal Sentinel reports, but said it needed to be done for the sake of the state budget.

In a press conference today, Walker called the state senators' departure a "dirty trick."

In order to proceed without the Democrats, state Senate Republicans last night removed the more overt spending elements from Walker's proposal, since a 20-vote quorum is only needed for spending-related measures.

The newly-approved legislation includes elements that would seem to impact the budget, such as the provision requiring public workers to pay more for health care and pensions, though the bill is ostensibly not budget-related.

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Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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by mystar1000 March 17, 2011 10:22 AM EDT: the following is a response to december161773; Reply to this comment


by mystar1000 March 17, 2011 10:13 AM EDT: Companies relocate abroad because there are tax havens and cheap labour unprotected by such inconveniences as basic human rights, health and safety. If you wish to see America's working class reduced to those conditions, carry on, you're headed in the right direction. You will make a slave class able to compete with China's sweatshops, but every human right your forefathers fought for will be chipped away, brick by brick.
I advise you to check the record on the Chamber's environmental contributions. Unsurprisingly, it is opposed to any legislation standing in the way of a profit, no matter how beneficial to humanity and planet that legislation may be.
While I understand a large swathe of people still want to place their faith in the free market and the American dream, it doesn't take much discernment to notice that your nation has been hijacked by the rich, and it doesn't look like you're getting it back without a fight. The only difference between you and Britain is time.
A new, less greedy paradigm is required and caring for those in selfless and caring professions is the perfect starting point. Teachers ought to be given medals, not vilified, for attempting to educate children neglected by parents too busy working 2 jobs to pay the rent.
I am happy and proud to pay taxes for a better educated society overall. I am saddened that you are not.; Reply to this comment

by mystar1000 March 15, 2011 6:21 AM EDT

So does this mean the collective bargaining powers of the Chamber of Commerce will be outlawed too? Because let us not obscure the fact that the chamber of commerce is just that- a union of the rich and ambitious; the largest, most well-funded lobbyists. They are directly opposed to the interests of those whose work is not necessarily fueled by greed but by a drive to help: teachers are a prime example. As compassion is not a quantifiable economic commodity, it holds no truck with hard-nosed capitalists. It does not compute. Although not averse to accepting charity themselves (ahem, Goldman Sachs, paid-up member of COC) they actively seek to dismantle the humanitarian professions. The Chamber of Commerce has become a misanthropic behemoth no longer connected to humanity and must be brought to its senses.
My commiserations, America, your democracy is in tatters.

Reply to this comment


by December161773 March 16, 2011 8:28 AM EDT: A major difference is that the Chamber helps business which enriches investors, makes for a more prosperous society generally, increases state and fed revenues, enables environmental improvement (more prosperous cities, states, and nations are more able to abide enviro regs and rehab damaged sites), etc., etc. etc.

Too-powerful unions enrich themselves at the expense of others by causing higher prices for goods and services and by causing companies to relocate abroad. PUBLIC SECTOR unions take directly from taxpayers' pockets. Don't say to me that too-powerful unions lift all wage boats because that's exactly what Wisconsin's bill is about - allowing Wisconsin working people to not require union scale for themselves to work on government projects!


by donnomarz March 14, 2011 3:29 PM EDT: Who has a website to Recall Scott Walker of Wisconsin?Why not start your petition to recall governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin by promoting your cause with one of these sites I've reserved in advance. There is certainly more than one group interested in voicing their opinion, right?:

* Kick Out Walker: KickOutWalker.com
* Kick Walker Out: KickWalkerOut.com
* Wisconsin Revolt: WisconsinRevolt.com
* Wisconsin Revolts:: WisconsinRevolts.com; Reply to this comment


by noloyalisti March 11, 2011 1:56 PM EST: Go ahead Tea Bag KKKlansman Walker. Sign the bill and go to jail. Or be recalled. We can't let your filthy rich corporate masters continue to rob from the middle class while they go laughing all the way to their (offshore) bank.; Reply to this comment

by starving1968-3 March 11, 2011 11:57 AM EST

by apufan March 11, 2011 11:14 AM EST

So, you are using a fear tactic that has no basis to make a statement. Face it, you have nothing. Unions are a racket and you don't want to admit it. All you have tried to do is twist what I've said to discredit my superior statements.

I didn't "twist" anything.

I copy-and-pasted your nonsensical posts and reposted them - unedited.

If your posts contradict each other, it's because YOU can't formulate a thought and keep it in your head for 5 minutes.

That's not a condemnation of me, junior.

Reply to this comment


by mystar1000 March 15, 2011 6:26 AM EDT: Q: What is a union? A: It is a collection of entities who are stronger together. Q: What is the Chamber of Commerce? A: A collection of some of the wealthiest corporate entities who stand together to promote their interests to government. Q: Who is the largest contributor to congress, and in particular Republican senators, in history? A: The Chamber of Commerce. Q:What is it in the Chamber's interest to promote? A: Dirt cheap, easily expendable labor. That means YOU, *******. Wake up America, your democracy is in tatters


by forsanity1 March 11, 2011 11:37 AM EST: And the pendulum of American politics continues to swing....

The Republicans were down and out in 2009, they found something to rally around and fought well (factually, not so much but effective nevertheless), they won a battle in 2010.

Well, now the Democrats have something to rally around. It was so stupid for the Republicans to overplay their hand. They might have been welcome for a long while, but they have already stained the carpet, broken the coffee pot and left the trash on the kitchen floor. They are out of here.; Reply to this comment

by jd2408 March 11, 2011 11:31 AM EST

I would just like to know where all this media coverage was when millions of American jobs were lost by outsourcing and companies shutting down, moving to Mexico, China or India ? These were the jobs of hard working men and women that payed these people that are demonstrating now. Jobs are still being lost but still no press. They are still calling it a global economy. These public employees are not all right or all wrong. In our State they have refused to even try to help. I see this situation both ways.

Reply to this comment


by forsanity1 March 11, 2011 11:38 AM EST: The outsourcing of jobs has been covered extensively in the press and all media.

I wonder how you missed it?


by dinkydog1 March 11, 2011 11:19 AM EST: As you know GOP corp. supporters are against all unions that empower emploees and give working people a voice. So if your working hard and feel your not being rewarded fairly, the following are GOP acceptable means for dealing with your employer:

Groveling
Begging
Kissing a$$
Brown nosing
Washing the bosses car on week ends
Keeping bosses shoes shined........; Reply to this comment

by WakeUpRepublicans March 11, 2011 11:12 AM EST

I have never seen such arrogance...They claim they passed a bill that was illegal to pass... And the Governor claims this was Democracy in action...
Republicans think if they get elected they have a mandate on everything...
They think election to a public office makes them a King
This Governor deserves to be recalled...All polls showed the far greater majority of people of his state wanted the civil-service workers to keep their collective bargaining rights...Only a Republican would call this a victory...only a fool would support his actions.

Reply to this comment


by rs108 March 11, 2011 11:48 AM EST: THIS COUNTRY IS NOT RUN BY POLLS, its run by elected officials. If a majority of the people dont like it, then vote differently next time. Until then quit your ********. Also im getting tired of both Dems and Republicans of using the court system as a vehicle to change the outcome of a vote they disagree with. Majority Rules PERIOD


by forsanity1 March 11, 2011 12:01 PM EST: What you forget is that the people always are in control of their government, rs108 -- they have every right to correct the mistakes made in an election with another election (recall or regular term).

The courts are provided to the citizens by the Constitution as an equal to the legislative and executive branches. WE have separation of powers... we sometimes need to use one branch to mitigate injustice done by another.

PS -- did you think "the American people" didn't support health care reform and it was therefore "rammed down our throats"?

If so, you believed opinion polls, not election-by-the-majority results.