Early this morning around 1:00 am, the Wisconsin State Assembly republicans passed Governor Walker’s budget repair bill which also removed collective bargaining rights for the teachers union. (video on left)
The vote by the assembly in Wisconsin is still not a done deal however because the State senators still have to vote on the Bill. But the 14 democrats in the senate have fled to another State, which prevents the state Senate from having the three-fifths quorum required to take a vote on the budget. Governor Walker last week ordered State police to track them down.
Wisconsin workers have been protesting in their State capitol for about 10 days, and protests have started in 18 other Wisconsin cities by union and non union workers, who are asking their Governor to stop trying to kill the teachers union.
This past Monday in Nevada two protest rallies were held, one in Las Vegas and the other in Carson City. And its not just in Nevada, several other States, have seen protests by union members from both the public and private sector to show solidarity with Wisconsin workers.
This Saturday, plans are underway for all 50 States to hold protests rallies at their State capitols at noon in support of Wisconsin workers.
The Wisconsin Governor has set off a firestorm, American workers are not going to be bullied anymore by republicans who want to destroy all unions because of politics. The Wisconsin unions said they would agree to salary cuts and benefit cuts, but would not negotiate away their collective bargaining rights. And that is what this fight is all about, the rights of American workers to collectively bargain for better pay, benefits and working conditions.
Don't miss any of the Las Vegas Democrat Examiner articles: Click Subscribe and enter your email address or choose the RSS feed. Either way you’ll be alerted to the latest column when it's published. And don't forget to click Email to send this article to a friend.
Comments
Kill the unions, drive wages down for everyone. GOP, RW talking heads have tea party cutting off the tips of their own noses by turning them against American workers who belong to unions.
The COWARDS, AT 1AM! But the Democrat Senators will still stand their ground and stay out of the state so there will be NO 3/5 quorum because THEY CARE what the people say!!!!! The Governor has forgotten this is a Democracy, not a MONARCHY, I say a vote to Recall is in order!!!! All he cares about is his own personally agenda, not what the people he's suppose to represent want... RECALL.....
He's a Republican- what more do you expect.
The true cowards are still hiding in Illinois.
In a democracy, elected officials show up to debate and then vote. These 14 rats are delaying democracy because they don't think they'll get their way.
Kudos to Gov. Walker for doing the right thing. Times are tough for everyone. We ALL are being asked to contribute more to our pensions and health insurance. Why should teachers be any different? WE pay these teachers' salaries. They work for US. And we the tax payers don't make as much as we used to in our jobs, so guess what: we can't afford to pay our public employees as much as we used to. Simple as that.
Deal with it unions are dead!!!
and if the Senators need a place to stay, food, etc. They can come to my house! I'd welcome any elected official that actually LISTENED to the voice of the people and felt that strongly..... you have my highest respect..... I live in Forreston IL, you can find me on Facebook
I don't understand why everyone is soooo upset- Wisconsin voted him in "Republican"- leave him alone and let him do his job. I don't know what it's going to take for "America" to open their eyes- Democrats are for the "hard working people" like the teachers and everyone that gets up everyday and "WORKS". It was looking up- now it's only going to get worse.
Wisconsin got who they wanted to lead them.
My point exactly!!!!!!!
"Wisconsin"you guy,s voted this ass in office and now you want the Dems senators to Bail you out.you can not have it both ways!
Not all of use voted for him. I do agree that most likely many of the people protesting did vote for him. I for one was absolutely appalled when he was elected. I have an unsettling feeling that his failure in college has led to some vendetta against teachers. Back to the point, if you want to know who has the better shot at winning an election all you have to do is follow the money. And that is one thing Republicans will not shy away from - money from corporations with private interests. Also, you need to appreciate that Madison and Milwaukee are huge liberal hubs of Wisconsin. If you look at an election map you will see that the "uneducated" rural wisconsin (not all rural wisconsin is uneducated) is where Walker got most of his votes. And it is my guess that those voters are more easily swayed by campaign ads. By the way someone should find out if there is any differential in money spent for campaign ads between Walker and Barrett.
Thank goodness for brave heroes like Gov. Walker. If his predecessors had a backbone to stand up to union thugs, the state wouldn't be in the mess it's in now.
The 14 senators who are refusing to do their jobs should all be fired. They are stalling the government and costing tax payers lots of money. In fact, any teacher with a fake doctor's note for missing work should be fired and doctors who wrote fake notes should lose their licenses. I don't want MY tax dollars being used to pay the salaries of senators and teachers who are not doing their jobs.
Gov. Walker - keep up the good fight and don't back down to these bullies!!
Governor Walker is the bully. There is nothing 'good' about his 'fight', unless you believe tax breaks for corporations while trying to force middle class workers to make concessions and pay for those tax breaks to be good.
you can always tell an uneducated person who has NO IDEA what the true facts are... there are NO UNION BULLIES, only the ones that are in the Republican ads that are being run, and that's just a scare tactic.... we are talking about teachers, teachers that GAVE EVERY CONCESSION THAT WAS ASKED.. Or did you NOT read that part? The Governor wants to remove any rights they have.. all rights of EVERY WORKER, from librarians to snow plow driver for the city... that would include YOUR RIGHTS TOO! This means that they can lower your wages, remove your health care, take away anything they wish, whether you like it or not... this hurts the poor, the lower and middle class and gives them NO RIGHTS.. are you sure this is what you REALLY WANT??? What's what he's managed to pass through the General Assembly is the removal of "THEIR RIGHTS".. That is what the Democrat Senators are trying to stop.. Whether you are Republican or Democrat, you should be standing up, shouting, NO SCREAMING that it's wrong for anyone to take away your rights!!!! Get educated on the facts BEFORE you start making statements... or YOUR RIGHTS will be gone as well... then who will listen??????
UNIONS should be outlawed. I think this Gov. Walker is a hero...Its about time union workers lose the silver spoon and come dow to reality with the rest of us Americans. The teachers in WI have alot of nerve here when it's being reported that WI has the some of the lowest academic scores in the country. They all should be fired. I own a business and have 2 employees that are ex-union and they have the worst work ethics it has taken about 6 months to get them out of union mode (lazy). Unions fund piss poor presidents and crooked politicans. All non union members are watching this go down with GLEEE and one big smile on our faces. I hope all you union members choke hard!!!!!
again lying about the facts do not make them true wis. has one of the highest sat scores in the country non union states like texas has the lowest look it up
I think it's sad you would base so much of your opinion on two workers who are ex-Union. Most union employees are hard working, good, decent Americans. They are in fact the type of people who are the backbone of this country. They do not have any 'silver spoons' or sense of entitlement, they have decent pay and benefits that workers deserve.
It's laughable to suggest unions fund piss poor presidents and crooked politicians when we see the number of politicians involved in graft and giving breaks to the wealthy and corporations who were backed by the GOP and/or the Tea Party directly.
It's also sad that you want these good, decent, hard working people to choke and that you think it's funny they are losing their benefits and their livelihood. Some day it may happen to you, and will you be laughing then? No you'll still be complaining, whining and trying to blame it on the Democrats and the Unions and so on. Pathetic.
True, why do you think the Union is sending all the people they can pull together to fight this, the state is BROKE why can't the people see it for what it is. My hat off to Gov. Walker,
anonymous huh? Aren't even brave enough to state your name.. you are a coward just like the Governor of WI... The state is broke due to mismanagement of THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT, who now wants to blame it on the teachers, shut up! What a stupid statement... the teachers are underpaid as it is... AND IF YOU ACTUALLY KNEW THE FACTS YOU'D KNOW THEY MADE EVER CONCESSION THAT WAS ASKED OF THEM TO HELP... the Governor is hell bent on destroying their rights... get your facts in order, understand what the actual facts really are, and then get a backbone and at least have the guts to post your name. Let the Governor balance the budget where the waste truly is, find his waste, and go from there... the Unions are willing to help him.. only he want to take away EVERY RIGHT OF THE WORKERS.. and that includes YOUR RIGHTS too, only you are too blind to see it... OPEN YOUR EYES.. that's what the General Assembly actually voted on, or did you actually NOT UNDERSTAND THAT???? And NO, I'm not a teacher, and NO, I don't belong to a Union... BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE ANYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO TAKE AWAY MY RIGHTS OR YOUR RIGHTS...
We live in a 'free market' society - that means the market sets the wages/benefits/costs - seems like the taxpayers are expected to live by this, but government employees are not? Organized labor in today's world seems like organized extortion - and a gov't worker union seems even more fatal - do what we want or we shut you down....extortion.......
I have had to cancel my planned vacations, sell some collected items, borrow from my (self paid) retirement account to pay for new tires and home repairs - why does a gov't worker not have to face the same financial hardships?
Some of the American people don't get it. It is your Senators, Asemblymen and Govenor who make the money not the public workers. You could hirer 6 to 7 public employee's based on the salary of our govenor's who also get free housing, phone service, utilities, a car, travel expenses and list goes on. The public employees are also tax payors. If not for them who would teach your children, who would plow our streets, who would care for the aging and sick, who would pick up our trash, who would care for our parks? and the list goes on, but we as American's see nothing wrong with paying football, basketball, baseball players millions of dollar, movie stars, singers and performers of all kinds millions of dollars for our enjoyment. Doesn't your neighbors deserve a roof over there head, food on there tables, clothes on there back and to provide for there families because that is what we are talking about. They are not rich by any means. They are the common folk that you see mowing there lawn, going to the store. The government wants to paint a different picture of these people. Again the government only tells us what they want us to hear not the truth. So with all that said please stand up for your mother, father, brother, sister,aunt, uncle because that is who these people are. United We Stand, Devided We Fall So come on lets stand up for ou rights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your rights are life, liberty and the p.o.h. There are some old docs that clearly state this. You do not have the right to free healthcare or retirement, scrips. etc. based on your small groups ability to strong arm the rest of your neighbors out of their retirement etc. Those protestors are professional people? They act like savages. Get in line with the rest of the population and pay your own way like we do. It is really pretty simple. The media and politicians (Dems that is) are in your pocket. The rest of us are not. This will happen and we won't pay your benefits forever. It may not be this year or next. Nobody knows when but the funds are gone. You are not yelling at the politician. You are yelling at us. We are just not yelling back loud yet. You need to stop deviding. He was voted in just like B. Husein Obama which it looks like won't happen again. The tide is turning and you have time to make some concessions and make it right.
Recall the governor. Ethics violations alone should be enough.
have you noticed that those backing gov. walker all put the burden on the working class and not one mentions anything about corporate welfare or the tax breaks for the rich the cause for this recession no they blame the middle class the working people and they stand with billioniares and corporations that send the jobs overseas for cheap labor
In Ohio we have Momar Kasich trying to be a dictator just like your governor. Its time we sent them all back to where they came from....and that is hell!!!!!!!!!!!
No more union, like in Germany, 1933 with A. Hitler... Welcome in the State Of Nazigan...
When all things are added together public sector union employees actually make less than private sector workers in comparable jobs. Those who decry unions and the salaries of public sector workers simply choose to ignore that little tidbit.
Governor Walker is no hero, he is a union busting, corporate sponsoring GOP governor who is waging war on the middle class. At the same time he has already given millions in tax breaks to large corporations while trying to force middle class workers to give up not only their collective bargaining rights but their benefits as well.
Why should we middle class workers/people continue to have to make all the concessions while so many wealthy people and corporations are getting breaks? I am sick of it, and you people who are supporting politicians like Walker will have it hit you in the face at some point, but it will be too late to do anything about it at that point.
America is not a welfare state, however being a formally wealthy country it could indulge in generous benefits to government workers. America is now no longer a wealthly country.
The 400 richest Americans have more wealth than 155 million American citizens combined.
America is still a wealthy country, its just that the wealth has been consolidated into the hands of 400 people in America, while everyone else has been forced to grab their ankles.
Banks have enslaved the entire nations by putting it into debt. Governments at all levels, companies and citizens are completely in the pockets of anonymous usurers. Lending is an unfair business, printing credit $$ only has destroyed the economy! Nationalize FRS, or perish.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!