Published 11 Mar, 2011
Through some late-night political trickery, Republican Wisconsin State Senators have destroyed 50 years of collective bargaining (CB) and violated democratic principles to advance their politically motivated attack on workers.
The procedural move late on the night of Wednesday, March 9 shows Gov. Scott Walker’s true intentions—to weaken the power of workers and dismantle the middle class. The bill to end collective bargaining for public workers was never about balancing the budget, but was an ideologically driven attack and a reward to the billionaires like the Koch brothers who fund Walker and his cronies.
By declaring the bill was not related to the budget, a blatant reversal from Walker’s earlier statements, the Republicans in the Senate were able to pass the bill with no Democrats in attendance and avoid quorum requirements. The state assembly then quickly passed the bill on Thursday. In their haste, the people of Wisconsin have been denied their right to have reasonable notice as to what is happening in the legislature.
Protestors inside the capitol building in Madison immediately broke out into chants of “shame,” as thousands more convened on the capitol and began planning rallies for the rest of the week and the weekend.
The people of Wisconsin and across America will not stand for this unprecedented attack on the middle class, human rights and democracy. In Wisconsin, a recall effort is underway to remove Senators who voted for the bill and a legal challenge is being mounted of the undemocratic procedures. Meanwhile, rallies and protests in Wisconsin and around the country are continuing to grow.