Nevada’s budget woes: Wisconsin, anyone?
Keep a sharp eye out on what's going on in Wisconsin. The people there threw out Democratic control of the state and gave it to Republicans.
And Republicans have rewarded the people with one of the most far-reaching budget controlling bills in the nation. Under new Gov. Scott Walker's bill state workers would share more in their pension and health-care costs and while unions could still represent workers, no pay increase could exceed the Consumer Price Index unless approved by a public referendum.
The changes would save the state $30 million by June 30 and $300 million over the next two years to address a $3.6 billion budget shortfall.
Those numbers ought to ring a bell with Nevada's city, county and state legislators struggling over their budget shortfall's. Wisconsin, anyone?
Here's the AP story with the details.
Wisconsin union bill stirs protests
SCOTT BAUER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MADISON, Wis. — Thousands of teachers, students and prison guards descended on the Wisconsin Capitol on Wednesday to fight a move to strip government workers of union rights in the first state to grant them more than a halfcentury ago.
The Statehouse filled with as many as 10,000 demonstrators who chanted, sang the national anthem and beat drums for hours. Many Madison teachers joined the protest by calling in sick in such numbers that the district had to cancel classes.
The new Republican governor, Scott Walker, is seeking passage of the nation’s most-aggressive anti-union proposal, which was moving swiftly through the GOP-led Legislature. Legislative leaders said Wednesday night that they would make minor changes to the bill, but would keep the provision to remove collective-bargaining rights that generated the protests.
“It is momentous and I think people around the state are going to welcome it,” said Sen. Alberta Darling, the cochairman of the budget committee that planned to pass the bill Wednesday night. Leaders of the Republican-controlled Senate and Assembly said it would pass there starting today.
If adopted, the move would mark a dramatic shift for Wisconsin, which passed a comprehensive collectivebargaining law in 1959 and was the birthplace of the national union representing all nonfederal public employees.
As protesters chanted “Recall Walker now!” outside the governor’s office door, the governor insisted he has the votes to pass the measure, which he says is needed to help balance a projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall and avoid widespread layoffs.
Walker said he appreciated the concerns of protesters, but taxpayers “need to be heard as well.” He said he would not do anything to “fundamentally undermine the principles” of the bill.
“We’re at a point of crisis,” the governor said.
In an interview with Milwaukee television station WTMJ, President Barack Obama said he was monitoring the situation in Madison and acknowledged the need for budget cuts. But, he said, pushing public employees away from the bargaining table “seems like more of an assault on unions.”
As the bill appeared ready to advance, tensions rose in the Capitol. Police roamed the halls, restricted access to some rooms and stood watch outside the governor’s office. The crowd swelled early in the evening as the budget committee prepared to start taking votes.
Republican-backed changes to the bill would extend a grievance procedure to public workers who don’t have one and require more oversight and put a deadline on changes Walker’s administration can make to the Medicaid program and the sale of public power plants.
In addition to eliminating collective-bargaining rights, the legislation would also make public workers pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health coverage, increases that Walker calls “modest” compared with those in the private sector.
More than 13,000 protesters gathered at the Capitol on Tuesday for a 17-hour public hearing on the measure. Thousands more came Wednesday.
“I’m fighting for my home and my career,” said Virginia Welle, a 30-year-old teacher at Chippewa Falls High School. She said she and her husband, also a teacher, each stand to lose $5,000 a year in higher pension and health-care contributions.
The protests have been larger and more sustained than any in Madison in decades. Dozens of protesters spent the night in sleeping bags on the floor of the Rotunda.
Beyond the Statehouse, more than 40 percent of the 2,600 union-covered teachers and school staff in Madison called in sick. No widespread sickouts were reported at any other school.
Union representatives were attempting to sway key moderates for a compromise, but Democrats said the bill would be tough to stop. Democrats lost the governor’s office and control of the Legislature in the November midterm elections.
Under Walker’s plan, state employees’ share of pension and health-care costs would go up by an average of 8 percent. The changes would save the state $30 million by June 30 and $300 million over the next two years to address a $3.6 billion budget shortfall.
Unions could still represent workers, but could not seek pay increases above those pegged to the Consumer Price Index unless approved by a public referendum. Unions also could not force employees to pay dues and would have to hold annual votes to stay organized.
