Wisconsin Protests Continue Over Collective Bargaining Rights

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Wisconsin doesn’t normally have a reputation for extreme behavior, but this week’s uproar over a new bill has resulted in schools being closed and Democratic senators fleeing the state. The contentious bit of legislation introduced by the new Republican Governor Scott Walker would eliminate collective bargaining rights of public employees, while increasing their health care and pension payments. The Republican state legislators say that while the cuts are painful, they are needed to bring the state budget back in line. The Democratic state senators and assembly members oppose the bill, saying that it needlessly weakens unions. In order to prevent a vote from being passed (which requires at least 20 senators in attendance, meaning at least one Democrat), Democratic state senators fled the state on Thursday. Meanwhile, protesters are camped out in front of the Capitol, many of them teachers and students, leading to the multi-day closure of Madison schools.

For more information:

• Wisconsin Lawmakers Flee to Stall Budget Vote (cbsnews.com)
• GOP Touts Need for Public Unions to Bend (npr.org)
• Wisconsin GOP Sends State Troopers After Democrat (huffingtonpost.com)
• The Wisconsin situation | Michael Tomasky (guardian.co.uk)