Wisconsin protests: State workers brace for lay-offs

[frigidmagi]

BBC

State workers in Wisconsin are bracing for lay-offs, after Governor Scott Walker said 1,500 employees would be notified of job losses if Senate Democrats do not return to the state.

Mr Walker demanded on Thursday that at least one of the 14 Democrats return to vote on a budget-balancing bill.

The Republican proposal would strip workers of their collective bargaining rights.

The news comes amid weeks of protests by union employees in the state.

Mr Walker's economic plan stalled last month when Senate Democrats fled to the state of Illinois in order to avoid voting on the bill.

Senate Republicans voted on Thursday to hold the missing Democrats in contempt and force police to bring them back to the capitol.

The Republican majority needs at least one Democrat present to give the quorum needed for a vote.
'Easing the deficit'

Mr Walker has said his proposal would balance the state's budget without raising taxes or cutting jobs, in an effort to ease the state's budget deficit, which is projected to reach $3.6bn (£2.2bn) over the next two years.

The bill, which must pass in both chambers of the legislature, is part of a broader economic policy that aims to get the deficit under control in part by restricting public employees' collective bargaining rights and by requiring them to contribute more to their pensions and healthcare.

State unions have said they will agree to Mr Walker's proposed changes to their benefits - which would amount to an 8% pay cut - as long as they retain collective bargaining rights.

Critics of Mr Walker's proposal say it is intended to weaken the power of the unions, which tend to back the Democrats in elections.

Mr Walker said he had to notify employees of the lay-offs on Friday so the state could make up for the $30m (£18m) savings he had anticipated had the bill been passed already.

He has said the restrictions on public-sector unions are necessary to give local governments the flexibility to make cuts quickly in order to meet budget shortfalls.
Capitol access

On Tuesday, the governor put forward a budget proposal as part of his broader economic plan which would cut $1.5bn in funding to public schools and local government.

Mr Walker said it would enable the private sector to create 250,000 jobs in the next four years.

Republicans, who in November took control of the US House of Representatives and state capitols across the country, have praised Mr Walker's bid to balance the budget without raising taxes.

Meanwhile, a final group of about 50 protesters at the Wisconsin state capitol left on Thursday about two hours after a judge ordered the building closed during non-business hours.

"We decided it would be best for our image to leave tonight peacefully and come back tomorrow," Matt Rowe, a demonstrator at the capitol building, told the Associated Press news agency.

The judge's ruling also said the state's move to limit access to the capitol building since Monday was unconstitutional and ordered Wisconsin to grant better access to the public next week.

From my view this has nothing to do with balancing a budget and everything to do with trying to force the protesters to back down. Let me pass this bill taking away your bargaining rights or I'll fire you.

[Derek Thunder]

I must admit some personal cognitive dissonance that comes from this contradiction - I support Wisconsin state senators for holding up this process, while resenting republicans and centrist democrats for obstructionism in the U.S. Senate.

I suppose there's a big difference in motive, but I still can't entirely get comfortable with it. The Wisconsin democrats are making a principled stand, but I imagine some conservatives believed they were doing the same thing during the health care debate. Maybe I just have too much faith in people though, and all of the obstruction at the national level was a cynical political strategy. Part of me wishes that they would return, resulting in the bill getting passed, in turn resulting in Egypt-style revolution, but I doubt it would end up happening that way.

A recall of Walker would be pretty spectacular though. Frankly, it can't happen soon enough.

[frigidmagi]

He has to be in office a year before he can be recalled.

[Derek Thunder]

Ah yes, the "no take-backsies" amendment.

[frigidmagi]

I see the sense in that actually, we can't have constant elections because an official did something unpopular, there has to be some safe time for them to get into their stride and figure things out. It's just Walker is abusing the fuck out of his power here.