Wisconsin in Uproar

            It was announced less than a half hour ago today that earlier this morning Republican Wisconsin senators pushed through a bill that would have a severely adverse effect on unions and their workers’ bargaining power in the future. Democrats tried to halt this process by means of a 60 hour filibuster, with more than 15 people still waiting to speak. However, the many arguments were interrupted by one Republican Senator who, at one o’clock in the morning opened and closed voting within a 60second span. He did this so quickly that only 13 of the 38 Democrats present and able to vote were actually able to do so.

            The bill, which has been designed to account for state's $137 million deficit and  attempting to plan for the $3.6 billion shortfall projected for 2011-2013, contains many helpful measures that don’t appear radical or are detrimental to the average person, so why the big fuss you might ask? Well a vast majority of the debate centers on wording within the bill about public workers. This bill will require public workers to contribute more to their pensions and health insurance and strips them of their right to collectively bargain benefits and work conditions.

            Democrats and unions are up in arms over this, saying it is an attack on worker’s rights and interferes with union support for Democrats. Unions have stated that they would make concessions in the other areas mentioned in the bill if they would still be able to keep their bargaining rights, but the Governor won’t budge.

            After over 3 days of intense debates, this controversial bill that Governor Scott Walker says contains provisions to fill the state’s huge deficit and account for the upcoming shortfall in the budget has been passed but things are in no way cooling down. Though tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets and camped out to protest, the bill was pushed through this morning. But, Democrats aren’t taking this sitting down.

            Minority Democrats in the house have, in fact, fled to Illinois to prevent a vote and say they will stay away unless Governor Walker agrees to discuss a compromise. The governor has said that if the bill does not pass by Friday, the state will miss a deadline to refinance $165 million but other say it could be possible to still meet the deadline if it passes by Tuesday.

Read more here at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110225/ap_on_re_us/us_wisconsin_budget_unions