WI Republicans strip out spending, pass bill reducing unions to wage bargaining only

[Little-Acorn]

The big bill that WI Senate Democrats fled the state to disrupt, had both spending items that specified how much various union workers would be paid, what pensions etc.; and also non-spending items like whether govt-employee unions would have the power to collectively bargain for pensions and benefits as well as wages.

Wisconsin law says that a quorum must be present in the Senate, for anybody to pass bills that do any spending. Democrats fled to prevent any voting on that big bill. They have said all along that they really object to the collective-bargaining provisions.

With the Democrats missing, Republicans stripped out all the spending parts of the bill, leaving just the collective bargaining parts. And then passed it out of committee and the full Senate voted on it a few minutes ago. It passed, 18-1.

Now they have to reconcile it with the (Republican-majority) Wisconsin Assembly. Shouldn't take long.

Tough titty, Demmies. You could have come back any time in the last two weeks. But you didn't, and now it's done.

Elections have consequences. And "we won".

-------------------------------

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...03-09-19-27-44

Wis. GOP bypassing Dems on collective bargaining

By SCOTT BAUER
Mar 9, 7:32 PM EST
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate have voted to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers after discovering a way to bypass the chamber's missing Democrats.

All 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois nearly three weeks ago, preventing the chamber from having enough members present to consider Gov. Scott Walker's so-called "budget repair bill" - a proposal introduced to plug a $137 million budget shortfall.

The Senate requires a quorum to take up any measures that spend money. But Republicans on Wednesday split from the legislation the proposal to curtail union rights, and a special conference committee of state lawmakers approved that bill a short time later.

The move set up a vote in the Senate, which voted mere moments later.

[Kathianne]

The big bill that WI Senate Democrats fled the state to disrupt, had both spending items that specified how much various union workers would be paid, what pensions etc.; and also non-spending items like whether govt-employee unions would have the power to collectively bargain for pensions and benefits as well as wages.

Wisconsin law says that a quorum must be present in the Senate, for anybody to pass bills that do any spending. Democrats fled to prevent any voting on that big bill. They have said all along that they really object to the collective-bargaining provisions.

With the Democrats missing, Republicans stripped out all the spending parts of the bill, leaving just the collective bargaining parts. And then passed it out of committee and the full Senate voted on it a few minutes ago. It passed, 18-1.

Now they have to reconcile it with the (Republican-majority) Wisconsin Assembly. Shouldn't take long.

Tough titty, Demmies. You could have come back any time in the last two weeks. But you didn't, and now it's done.

Elections have consequences. And "we won".

-------------------------------

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...03-09-19-27-44

Wis. GOP bypassing Dems on collective bargaining

By SCOTT BAUER
Mar 9, 7:32 PM EST
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate have voted to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers after discovering a way to bypass the chamber's missing Democrats.

All 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois nearly three weeks ago, preventing the chamber from having enough members present to consider Gov. Scott Walker's so-called "budget repair bill" - a proposal introduced to plug a $137 million budget shortfall.

The Senate requires a quorum to take up any measures that spend money. But Republicans on Wednesday split from the legislation the proposal to curtail union rights, and a special conference committee of state lawmakers approved that bill a short time later.

The move set up a vote in the Senate, which voted mere moments later.

It seems that the legislature is doing what the governor is loathed to do, force the issue so that the Democrats return.

[Little-Acorn]

How long before the Democrats and other leftist fanatics start rioting, breaking windows, trashing buildings, and setting fires?

[Kathianne]

Meanwhile the AP is shilling for the unions while dissing Obama administration, is the later on purpose or not?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theloo...-so-much/print

Jobs returning — but good ones not so much
By Zachary Roth zachary Roth Wed Mar 9, 12:10 pm ET

When it comes to jobs, it's not just quantity that matters--it's also quality. It's great news that the economy is finally producing jobs again--even if it'll take another few years of this kind of growth to get us back to where we were before the Great Recession. But that also means it's now time to ask what kind of jobs are being created. And on that front, things are a lot less encouraging.

Several recent studies suggest that the new jobs pay less and offer fewer work hours than the ones they have replaced. Let's look at the numbers:...

...There are no easy answers for how to fix the problem. Some argue that workers need more clout in their relationship with employers, something that would require a renaissance of private-sector labor unions, which have been on the decline for the last half-century. But that prospect looks unlikely: Indeed efforts are underway in several states to make public-sector unions as weak as their private-sector counterparts.

Still, as the economy continues to add jobs in the coming months, it's worth keeping the issue of quality in mind. An economy with a glut of low-paying and part-time jobs isn't an economy that's working for most Americans.

[Little-Acorn]

From the fanatic-left site Huffington post:

BoyInBOYCOTT 1 minute ago (7:49 PM) 1691 Fans

OUT of the Capitol, and DEMONSTRAT*E at EVERY Republican*'s HOME and the schools of their kids.

NO JUSTICE NO PEACE

This is going to get ugly, real fast. These leftists are petulant, savage animals when they don't get their way.

Bring it on, leftist losers.

[Kathianne]

Yep, here's thugs:

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A_cMqhDfc1w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[DragonStryk72]

The big bill that WI Senate Democrats fled the state to disrupt, had both spending items that specified how much various union workers would be paid, what pensions etc.; and also non-spending items like whether govt-employee unions would have the power to collectively bargain for pensions and benefits as well as wages.

Wisconsin law says that a quorum must be present in the Senate, for anybody to pass bills that do any spending. Democrats fled to prevent any voting on that big bill. They have said all along that they really object to the collective-bargaining provisions.

With the Democrats missing, Republicans stripped out all the spending parts of the bill, leaving just the collective bargaining parts. And then passed it out of committee and the full Senate voted on it a few minutes ago. It passed, 18-1.

Now they have to reconcile it with the (Republican-majority) Wisconsin Assembly. Shouldn't take long.

Tough titty, Demmies. You could have come back any time in the last two weeks. But you didn't, and now it's done.

Elections have consequences. And "we won".

-------------------------------

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...03-09-19-27-44

Wis. GOP bypassing Dems on collective bargaining

By SCOTT BAUER
Mar 9, 7:32 PM EST
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate have voted to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers after discovering a way to bypass the chamber's missing Democrats.

All 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois nearly three weeks ago, preventing the chamber from having enough members present to consider Gov. Scott Walker's so-called "budget repair bill" - a proposal introduced to plug a $137 million budget shortfall.

The Senate requires a quorum to take up any measures that spend money. But Republicans on Wednesday split from the legislation the proposal to curtail union rights, and a special conference committee of state lawmakers approved that bill a short time later.

The move set up a vote in the Senate, which voted mere moments later.

Had I been the dems of the state, what I would have done is introduce an alternate bill with less stringent cuts, along with some ways of bringing in some extra revenue to cover the shortfall, while rallying union members and families as best I could in order to leverage public opinion on my side. This would have changed the tenor of debate completely, with the decision coming down between more spending cuts or less spending cuts with increased revenue, as opposed to a straight spending cuts or no spending cuts vote.

Under no circumstances would I have left the state, although I would have delayed voting as long as possible, possibly utilizing the filibuster in order to stretch for time while my own budget proposal gains momentum. I admit that's a little rat bastard doing it, but if you believe strongly in your opinion, then you should be willing to stand and fight for it.

ROFL, I just figured out the theme song for the WI Dems:

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BZwuTo7zKM8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>