R i g h t a r d i a: Wisconsin Continues To reverberate With The Sound And Fury Of Workers And Students United

Tens of thousands Wisconsinites from all walks of working life continue to storm the state capitol in ever-escalating protests against a Republican effort to end collective bargaining rights for public workers. For days they have packed the three-story capitol building and rallied in the state capitol square, some even sleeping overnight in the capitol rotunda.

Madison Firefighters Local 311 President Joe Conway expressed his solidarity from the state capitol steps Thursday.

[Conway]: “When Scot Walker drew that line and tried to separate out labor from the firefighters and the police officers we knew what we had to do. Whenever a line is drawn we are on the side of all of labor!”

Republicans in the State Senate couldn’t vote to kill collective bargaining rights Thursday because Democratic senators went to Illinois, preventing a quorum required for the vote. Protesters in the rotunda cheered at the news. Mary Newton is a teacher from Janesville, Wisconsin.

[Newton]: “I’m just so glad that the firemen came in today and supported us. I cried. I’m so glad, I emailed Tim Cullen ‘cause he led the Democrats out and they’re in Illinois right now, which is not too far away and so they can’t vote. I just don’t understand why this is a budget issue. It’s not a budget issue. It’s about taking away our rights.”

Wisconsin’s capitol continues to reverberate with the sound and fury of workers and students united.

By Doug Cunningham

Chant: This is what democracy looks like!

Madison Firefighters Local 311 President Joe Conway expressed his solidarity from the state capitol steps Thursday.

Conway: “When Scot Walker drew that line and tried to separate out labor from the firefighters and the police officers we knew what we had to do. Whenever a line is drawn we are on the side of all of labor!”

Newton: “I’m just so glad that the firemen came in today and supported us. I cried. I’m so glad, I emailed Tim Cullen ‘cause he led the Democrats out and they’re in Illinois right now, which is not too far away and so they can’t vote. I just don’t understand why this is a budget issue. It’s not a budget issue. It’s about taking away our rights.”

Wisconsin’s capitol continues to reverberate with the sound and fury of workers and students united.

Chant: "What's disgusting? Union busting!"

What Walker bill would do

1. Eliminate collective bargaining rights for most public workers. So while unions still could represent those workers, they would not be able to seek pay increases above those pegged to the Consumer Price Index unless approved by a public referendum.

Walker may have made a slight compromise here and rather than ban collective bargaining, he may make Wisconsin into a "right to work" state. All this means is that state employees are represented by unions but paying union dues is optional. It weakens unions during political campaigns.

2. Unions also would have to hold annual votes to stay organized. This would make it very difficult for a unions to function.

3. Local police, firefighters and state troopers would retain their collective bargaining rights.

This suggests the governor is going after state workers and teachers. It implies the governor is considering drastic changes to the state education system. Rick Scoot, the Florida governor, wants to voucherize the public education system in Florida.

4. Public workers would have to pay half the costs of their pensions and at least one eight of their health care coverage.

That represents an average of 8 percent increase in state employees' share of pension and health care costs.

In exchange, public employees were promised no furloughs or layoffs. Gov. Scott Walker has threatened to lay off up to 6,000 state workers if the measure does not pass.

Estimated savings

The savings are $30 million by July 1 and $300 million over the next two years. Walker claims this will resolve a Republican-projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall.

LtSaloon wrote an article that pointed out that newly elected GOP Governor Walker ” signed two business tax breaks and a conservative health-care policy experiment that "lowers overall tax revenues." The new legislation was not offset, and it turned a projected state surplus into a deficit.

Walker then used his newly created deficit as a justification to attack collective bargaining in his state.

Walker is offering some short term guarantees for ending collective bargaining.
We understand why the state workers are demonstrating. Walker isn't offering much for huge labor concessions.

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41692914/ns/us_news-life/

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